Winter Storm
by Snake Staff
Summary: Twenty years after the events of Together Forever, Cadence still struggles to create a new form for her beloved husband as Shining Armor seeks the source of his wife's misery. Meanwhile, tensions mount in the world at large, drawing the intervention of Celestia. But is this all more than coincidence?
1. Chapter 1

Shining Armor

Twenty years.

Twenty years it's been since the night I was almost killed. I confess that I don't remember much of what happened during that night. I recall leaving the ball, going to the greenhouse to get away for a while, and then… my memory goes blank. Cadence told me what happened, though. She said that Lady Rose Quartz used some kind of weird mind-altering magic on me – tried to make me kill myself.

Apparently, that ticked Cadence off so much that she took it on herself to round up her aunt for backup and track down the perpetrator that very night. And kill the mare personally. I think that was premature, myself. One thing you learn, first as a guard, then as a prince, is that procedure is important. She should have been brought in for in-depth questioning, and then given a proper trial. That way, we could have determined what exactly was going on, and exposed any conspirators. As it happened, anypony that worked with her got away scot-free. I know Cadence can get emotional when dealing with threats to those she cares about, but I would have thought Princess Celestia would have known better.

I know Lady Quartz couldn't have been acting alone. I may not know as much about magic as Twily, but even I know that an earth pony can't muster the kind of mind control you need to make a pony kill himself. I even asked my LSBFF just to be sure (after she got done hugging me and asking if I was alright). There have to have been more in on that. But Cadence insists that there weren't. Very odd.

Something's been off with my precious princess since that night.

I've been with my wife for over four hundred and fifty years by this point. I know her almost as well as I know myself, or at least I like to think I do. Cadence hasn't been quite the same since the day I came close to a second death. Don't get me wrong, she's as loving and sweet to me as she ever was. It's just that she's been… nervous. Distracted in the performance of her royal duties. Jittery, I think. When she's putting on her makeup in the mornings, I can see from the bags under her eyes that she isn't getting enough sleep. I've taken some of her work off her plate to try and let her rest easier, but she still doesn't seem any more relaxed.

Something's been on her mind for all this time, and she won't talk to me about it. No matter how hard I push, no matter what I say, she always insists that she's fine. When I ask her what's worrying her, she says that nothing is. If I try to bring up the matter of whoever's left behind from that assassination plot, she assures me that she got them all and not to worry. She's not as good a liar as she thinks she is – at least not with me.

I'm worried for her.

I've had my best guardsponies go over the scenario again and again. The idea that it was the work of a lone earth pony mare is something we can all agree seems absurd, but now that she's dead, we can't pry any answers from her. I'm afraid that somepony is somehow blackmailing or coercing my wife. I don't really understand why else she would so vigorously deny obvious facts to me. She's always confided in me when she feels troubled. Well, there is one reason I thought of, but I already checked to see if she was a changeling doppelganger. Nope, she's alicorn through and through. So somepony must be making her fear like this.

I don't know who they are or what they want, but Shining Armor is not about to let his princess suffer.

* * *

Cadence

Twenty years.

For twenty long years I've worked with a guillotine (Prench invention, ghastly thing) over my husband's neck. My adoptive aunt, Celestia, believes Shining to be a threat to the ponies of the Crystal Empire for as long as his soul is attached to a golem body by dark magic. While I will concede that it has drawn the occasional spirit in our direction, there hasn't been anything that the love magic we share and the Crystal Heart aren't amply capable of handling. I believe Celestia seriously overestimates the risks.

But my opinion no longer matters.

"Auntie" Celestia made that abundantly clear that night, when she pounded me into so much paste during our fight. She's so… powerful. If I'm a demigod, Celestia is a full-fledged goddess walking the earth. If she had wanted, it was within her abilities to end me on the spot, end Shining and his "threat", and absorb our kingdom into her own. I think she would have done it too, if I hadn't shown her my project. I never wanted my Shining Armor to suffer forever in an unnatural body of animated crystal. That's why I work, then and now, to create an alicorn form his soul can inhabit. Then we can be properly together again.

Celestia proved amendable to bargaining, at least. She wanted my research, my silence, and eventually, my children. It grieves me every time I think about it that I've sold my future alicorn foals to her to raise and warp in her own image, but what else could I do? I'm not strong enough to fight her, and I'm not delusional enough to believe that there's any place we could run where she couldn't find us, given time. But all that got me was a stay of execution: Celestia still believes Shining is a threat to the well-being of the ponies of the Crystal Empire, only relenting with the opportunity for greater gains. If I can't produce results within whatever timeframe she judges appropriate, she can still kill Shining. He lives every day with an invisible ax above his head, ready to drop whenever my aunt decrees.

And I can't even tell him a word about it.

Can you blame a mare for being a little nervous?

He sees through me, I know it. Damn this geas – magical contract that I'm bound under unspecified penalty to uphold – to Tartarus. I admit I'm not entirely sure what exactly counts as telling a pony, but I am sure I don't want to trigger it. The last time I saw somepony break one of Celestia's spells, she lost almost her entire memory. Didn't know who I was, where she was, or anything at all about my aunt. If that happened to me…

Besides, I can't tell Shiny the truth – not now, at least – because I know how he'd react. He's a bit too bold in defense of those he loves. He'd march right up to Celestia and confront her head on. He might even challenge her to a duel. And – not to speak ill of his not inconsiderable magical talent – he would get unceremoniously crushed. Celestia would pound him into a pulp if he was lucky, or decide that he'd become too "dangerous" to live if he wasn't. I can't risk that. Not until I succeed, and have some time to tutor him in alicorn-style magic. Then… then, maybe we can confront her together. But not now. Not now…

I need to hurry. I still don't know how long I have left.

Don't worry Shiny, I'm coming.

* * *

Celestia

Twenty years.

Twenty years it has been since I finally worked up the nerve to act against my foal of a niece. I regret deeply what happened between us – I know, better than anypony I think, what it's like to be betrayed by one close to you. But it had become clear as crystal that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza had chosen the welfare of her husband over the welfare of her kingdom. If she had had her way, Shining Armor would have continued to draw darkness to himself until one day he drew something too powerful to be easily repelled, something that could bring fire and ruin to the Crystal Empire and its thousands upon thousands of innocent ponies. I had to act. It was for the greater good.

I was sloppy, I admit. I let my heart – my ongoing affection for my adopted nephew – influence my head, and set out using the quickest and simplest means to dispose of the prince that I could find, without bothering to adequately cover my tracks. I should have used multiple proxies and an illusion spell to create a false trail to a pony that never existed. Then I would not have been tracked down so quickly. But what was done was done, and Cadence came to kill me in vengeance.

But she was hardly the first to try and end my life, nor has she been the last. I defeated her, and finally that foalish mare told me what she should have from the beginning – that she was working on a means to create a soulless alicorn body for her husband. The potential good that could be done by the offspring of such union (Luna and I being products of another) outweighed the continued risk. So, I gave her time.

But Cadence is disappointing me. I've given her two decades in which to work on her solution, but thus far I am seeing little in the way of concrete progress. There are plenty of platitudes in her reports, but not very much practical advancement toward her goal. I had hoped she would discover something about the process of alicorn creation – which even I confess I do not fully understand – but I can see little that she has achieved beyond proposing, testing, and then ruling out various theories. If work continues at this poor pace… I'm not sure how long I can continue to risk the safety of thousands of ponies for a chance at future gains. I do not like this risk-taking. I normally prefer to play my cards more conservatively – after all, in the worst case scenario I can simply wait for a change in the political situation. Gambling with ponies' lives in this manner strikes an ill chord with me.

And speaking of the political situation, I find myself called once again to play the role of peacemaker between mortal belligerents. Prance, an independent nation of ponies, and the Gryphus Empire have long held competing claims to a group of uninhabited rocks called the Senadas lying far off their coasts. They weren't important until a few weeks ago, when substantial deposits of powerfully magical gems were discovered in the waters surrounding them. If current estimates of their numbers are correct, control over these gems would offer a substantial economic and military edge in a dispute to anypony who wanted one. Naturally, everypony and their grandmother are now eager to get their hooves around these treasures. Some of the more aggressive factions in both nations are calling for outright military occupation of the Senadas to claim the resources for their respective countries. More sensible sapients would prefer some sort of diplomatic solution. And guess who they've invited to play mediator?

So, once again, the short-sighted mortals are on the verge of killing each other over a deposit of shiny rocks that will be gone in a few decades, and the adults have to step in and tell everypony to play nice.

An alicorn would know better. An alicorn would realize the stupidity of sacrificing lives – truly irreplaceable treasures – to acquire a temporary boost in power. But mortals rarely look beyond the century they live in, much less further on down the line. Is it really worth it, in the end, to create thousands of widows and orphans, to stain relations between nations for generations to come, to grant the wendigoes a feast of pain and misery, just so they can acquire a few gems? Of course not. But that's proven a lesson that has to be taught, again and again and again and again over my many years of dealing with such things. I am very tired of having to explain this over and over to successive generations of egotistical fools.

But I will be patient. With any luck, the day will come soon when I no longer have to deal with such petty fools they call leaders. When mortal governments are a thing of the past, we can all learn to share like civilized ponies do.

So I will wait. Hopefully, it will be over soon.


	2. Chapter 2

Shining Armor

"The court has reached a verdict," I announce in my best imperial voice from my elevated platform. The usual chattering and whispering from the small group of ponies has to be silenced with a few bangs of a gavel. "Ahem," I clear my throat, not for any need but more for the effect of it. "Mr. Shimmer has been brought here on charges of assault and battery against Mr. Polish," I restate what everpony already knows, simply because that's procedure, even here. "Mr. Shimmer alleges that it was a case of the removal of a disorderly bar patron gone wrong."

"That's 'cause it was!" shouts the stallion in question, looking irritated.

"That is enough!" I reply in my best stern tone.

More whispering. Another few gavel bangs to get their attention.

"Now, the evidence presented by Mr. Shimmer, including sworn statements from several others patronizing his establishment at the time of the incident, indicates that Mr. Polish was, by his own verbal confession, heavily inebriated on that night. Furthermore, witness statements align with the allegation that when confronted by an establishment bouncer and told to leave, Mr. Polish responded by, and I quote, "decking him in one punch"."

"That's a bloody lie that is!" screams one Mr. Gem Polish from his place on the stands.

"Order! Order in the court!" I yell out, banging my gavel again for silence. When I get it, I continue. "The next pony to interrupt court proceedings will be held in contempt of court and removed from the secession. Is that clear to everypony?"

A good deal more mumbling, and vague assents from the two belligerent stallions.

I nod in satisfaction, then continue where I left off. "Following this, Mr. Shimmer is alleged to have personally taken action against the offender by, and I quote, "tackling him to the ground and wrestling him down". Mr. Polish was subsequently arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct, prior to filing assault charges against Mr. Shimmer."

So, a stallion gets drunk, decks another pony, gets wrestled to the ground, and then decides to allege assault against the pony that brought him down. Hardly a mystery for the ages. How exactly did this case get all the way to the Royal Court again?

"Mr. Polish alleges that he did not, in fact, assault another pony and was attacked without provocation." I look down at the papers in front of me. "Unfortunately, Mr. Polish has not produced any evidence to support his version of events beyond his own word and his injuries, whereas Mr. Shimmer has produced a bouncer with a head injury, several sworn witness testimonies, and the Crystal Guard report filed on the scene. As such, the court has no choice but to find Mr. Shimmer not guilty on charges of assault and battery."

The court erupts into a frenzy of whispers and hurried activity. Silver Shimmer, now free of charges against him, looks satisfied and nods his head my way with a small smile on his face. Gem Polish, by contrast, starts screaming and swearing at me, and has to be virtually dragged away by a pair of guards. I make a mental note to add "contempt of court" to his rap sheet, which is already pretty long even without the other charges he himself will be facing. Hopefully, this time the lower courts will be able to handle it without asking for my wife's intervention. I still don't know whose bright idea it was to send such an open and shut case this high up, but I suppose I could thank Mr. Polish's absolutely insane devotion to appealing verdicts.

That, thankfully, is the final Royal Court session for the day, meaning I can take a break from this to go fill out paperwork instead. Goody goody gumdrops.

Sorry, do I sound a little bitter? Well, it's just that, like many ponies, I'm not overly found of the mundane little details involved in running a kingdom. That's one reason that I went into the military as a colt, rather than the civil service. At least there, for all the tedium and drills and standing around involved, when you see a threat you can usually just punch it in the face and that will solve most of it. I'm not exactly cut out for the paper-pushing lifestyle. I leave that to my LSBFF.

But there are more important things than my personal likes and dislikes. I know that Cadence isn't sleeping well, and she's been somewhat off in performing her royal duties. It's stressing her, I know it is, to be caught between whatever she's afraid of (and won't tell me about), and all the responsibilities that come from being the eternal ruler of the Crystal Empire. If she won't talk to me about her problems, and my investigations haven't turned up anything yet, the least I can do for my wife is take some of the burden of leadership off her shoulders. She was going to be doing this today, but I surprised her in the morning and sent her off to enjoy a day at the spa and a long nap.

I hope that will at least make her relax a bit.

* * *

Cadence

"RAAARGH!" I smash my hoof down on the table in front of me, snapping the exquisite old oak furniture in two like so much plywood. Splinters and wood dust fill the air, then clatter to the ground and settle. My samples floating in crystal jars full of nutrient liquid tumble this way and that, some managing to weather the fall and others ruined beyond usefulness. For a few moments, the only sound in my laboratory is that of my own heavy breathing.

Then there is silence.

I glare around in rage. My inner god-queen, the imperial part of me, feels that destroying a mere table isn't enough punishment. It wants me to smite down all that offends me, and right now all my equipment is offending me. It's failing me. Listening to that voice would be immensely satisfying… but no. I need to keep a cool head in the face of intense emotion.

Reluctantly, I close my eyes and take a minute to go through an anti-stress breathing exercise. One, two. One, two. In, out. In, out. Aaaaaaahhhhh…

Oh, you expected me to be at the spa? Hardly. Shining's thoughtful gestures are much appreciated and remind me every day of why I fell for him, but I'm hardly the mare to while away precious hours being pampered while my husband sits in a guillotine. An illusion and a few suggestion spells were all it took to get some private time to spend down here in my lab.

With the worst of my frustration driven away by the simple, calming expedient of controlled breathing, I simply slump back against a nearby bookshelf. It's not fair. It's just not fair. I'm doing _everything_. Absolutely everything I can think of. And nothing is giving me the results I want!

The latest experiment I just pounded on was another avenue in creating an alicorn body. I had got to thinking: I have an alicorn body, full of alicorn cells. I have extensive documentation on the physiology of my kind. And my body can endure and regenerate the loss of large amounts of tissue at once without much difficulty. So I decided to try and magically vat grow an alicorn form directly from the cells of my own body, one organ at a time if need be. It wouldn't be quite as good as a male form, but it would be a vast improvement for poor Shiny until I could solve that issue. Plus, results like that would buy me more time from Celestia.

But it's not working! Oh, sure, I created artificial organs grown directly from tissues of my own. I even had a fully functional heart in a jar (getting samples of that safely was not easy even for me, let me tell you). But my tests revealed a dire problem – the organs being grown weren't the ageless insides of an alicorn, but the entirely mortal body parts of a pegasus!

Pardon my language, but what the buck?!

Those cells were _mine_! I know – carved them out of there myself. Nopony else was used for a donor. I was careful to keep all the samples clear of anything else in the lab while they grew in magical nutrient fluid. And yet, when I come to check my work that I find that all I'm growing is an ordinary pegasus form! Why didn't that work?! How can my cells be alicorn inside me, but suddenly revert to pegasus once I take them out? What did I do wrong?

Aaaargh…

I bang my head against a wall and sob. It's not fair! It just isn't fair! I'm working my hooves to the bone to try and find some way to make an alicorn, and nothing I try works! And if I don't succeed, not only will Shiny have to suffer for the remainder of his life because of my selfishness, but Celestia might well decide that my time is up and kill him! What's the secret?! Where am I going wrong?!

I let the tears flow, dripping down my cheeks and onto the hard stone floor below.

I'd do anything to find that secret right now. Anything.

* * *

Celestia

I smile, genuinely, as my chariot arrives at last within sight of Ostflugel, or East Wing as it is known in modern times, the mountain city in the Gryphus Empire closest to their eastern seaboard. As of a few days ago, it further holds the honor of hosting the diplomatic summit between the Empire and Prance to decide the fate of the Senadas, presided over and mediated by myself. I would have preferred Canterlot, but the two nations are quite prickly at the moment and I diplomatically bowed to their wishes.

It will be good to get off this golden thing and stretch a bit. Perhaps I'll even have a chance to exercise my wings while I'm here. To be entirely honest with you, I would have enjoyed the flight much more if I had been flying myself, but it does make the Royal Guard feel good about themselves to do it for me, and who am I to deny them their happiness? I just hope my drivers haven't exhausted themselves – it's quite a long flight from here to Equestria.

* * *

We set down on a well-prepared landing field surrounded by the usual mix of guards, press, eager citizenry, shameless sycophants, and politicians. Reporters, mostly gryphons but with some ponies and a lone minotaur in the mix, start snapping shots of me and my honor guard the moment we arrive. I maintain a regal pose and gentle smile as we land and I step off, determined to give as good a show as ever.

The crowd surges and the guard lines buckle momentarily as the citizenry presses in, each struggling to get a good look at what's about to happen. Emperor Serath XV of the Gryphus Empire is here to greet me in person, a fact I appreciate. The old gryphon, surrounded by a half-dozen others of his kind in the armor of elite protectors, walks at a slow pace down the field to meet me. My own guards fan out in ceremonial formation, surrounding me as I make my way towards the Emperor. Cameras continue to flash from all angles, and I am sure to keep my eyes ahead and my posture perfect even while I favor them with a motherly smile.

Emperor Serath and I meet in the center of the landing field, a smile on his elderly face. I like this Emperor, really. He is a long-overdue leader for the Empire that understands that a continuous policy of small-scale war and constant aggression only makes for misery all around. He even breaks the Imperial tradition of standing immobile and forcing important guests to come before him, opting instead to meet them halfway in a symbol of cooperation. It's a shame he's getting on up in his years – at eighty seven, I wouldn't give him more than a decade, or perhaps two, before he's gone and replaced with the child of his that the Imperial Senate most favors. A rather poor method of succession, in my opinion, but at least it's better than the wild fratricides, struggles for power, and civil wars that came before.

"Your majesty, Emperor Serath XV," I say, closing my eyes and giving him a formal bow at the neck. He may be a cut above his predecessors, but like all gryphons he has his pride, and it's important to indulge it when being diplomatic.

"Your highness, Princess Celestia," he intones, giving me a somewhat shallower bow.

"It is an honor to be invited here. I and all Equestria thank you sincerely for your goodwill and hospitality." I smile at him.

"It is an honor to have you, Princess," he responds, with a slight grin on the edge of his beak.

Serath and I pause just long enough to give the crowd a wave, and then vanish into one of the many tunnels carved into the mountain, guards gryphon and pony alike keeping the crowd from following us.

* * *

"So," Serath begins, as soon as the elderly gryphon and I are safely beyond the prying gaze of the crowds outside. "What do you think the odds are that we all go home happy?"

I grin a bit. "Straight to the point, then?"

"Bah!" he snorts. "At my age, I ain't got time to dance around in the wind like some damned breezie! We're here to see if we can't solve this with words instead of swords, and I want your opinion our chances of success."

I consider for a moment, casting a discreet spell to frustrate and would-be eavesdroppers. "Nopony is going home entirely happy with everything. That's just diplomacy. But I think, if we tread carefully, we can get a mutually-acceptable agreement out of all of this. There's no inherent reason that your two nations cannot find some reasonable balance to mutually share in nature's bounty."

"Hmph," he looks skeptical. "Well, I'll take it. I've spent my life trying to avoid a war, last I need in my old age is a smudge on my record. I'd like to do this reasonably, but," he ruffles his feathers. "Some in the Senate don't quite agree with me there. And who knows what's going on in Prance and that damn fool Premier's head?"

"I am certain Premier Light will prove amendable to reason. What we do here will not satisfy everypony to the utmost, but if we can work to establish more trust between your nations and we avoid bloodshed I will consider it a more glorious success than any victory in battle." I answer, truthfully.

"Hmph," Serath looks up at me carefully, scrutinizing my face. I maintain a determined but hopeful expression. "I suppose I can agree with that."

I smile. "Then we are half the way there already."


	3. Chapter 3

Celestia

The remainder of my opening talk with Emperor Serath is, to be honest, of little note and a somewhat personal. We swap some stories, tell jokes, and generally indulge in a small period free from court protocols. It's not the most exciting thing in the world, but it makes for a nice, if temporary, distraction from the more serious affairs of state ahead. Naturally, such a pleasant time flies by faster than an alicorn on stimulants.

Soon enough, a servant arrives to inform us that my welcoming repast is ready, and to kindly request our presence.

"You realize, of course," I tell the Emperor as we make our way to one of the Ostflugel aerie dining rooms. "That just because we may enjoy each other's company for a brief while does not mean I will favor your side in negotiations."

"Hmph," he chuckles cynically. "Wouldn't dream of it. Wouldn't have asked you here if I thought you would. There's no honor in a victory won through cheating."

I don't believe that honor is as important as he thinks. In my opinion, preventing a war is infinitely more important than quaint notions of personal moral purity, but I stay my tongue. No sense antagonizing the Emperor when we've gotten off on the right hoof.

Eventually, we come to the double doors leading to the dining chambers my hosts have chosen to use. I don't believe I've actually been in these before, which is somewhat novel for me after I the time I've spent in just about every sufficiently fancy restaurant, feast hall, or assorted places to eat in Equestria. The doors open to the sound of somepony very loud reading off the very long lists of titles in our combined possession.

A warm, salty breeze hits my face, blasting away the cool mountain air. The dining room takes the form of a large cavern carved into the mountainside by what must have been hundreds or even thousands of gryphon stonemasons. There are five lengthy wooden tables spread out across the room. Half a dozen enormous holes in the stone wall serve as both windows and exterior entranceways for the assorted gryphons coming to land here. The "windows" face the ocean, which looks absolutely lovely this time of evening. It will be time to set the sun soon, and I find myself wondering what the view from this place would look like at dawn with my star peaking just over the horizon. Perhaps I shall have to indulge that curiosity if I should find the time.

We sit down, Emperor Serath at the place of honor at the head of the central and I, as honored guest, get the chair on his right claw. Across from me sits a middle-aged gryphon with golden fur, grey feathers, and a handsome red jacket indicative of his position. Unlike the Emperor, this is my first time meeting this particular gryphon face-to-face. I've read about him, but even that doesn't amount to much in this case.

I review what I know about the current Speaker of the Gyphus Imperial Senate, Etton of Northwind Province. A previously undistinguished Senator for five years, he made little fuss about anything and declined to draw much attention to himself during his short career. It was therefore something of a surprise when his predecessor nominated him for the position of Speaker before retiring, and even more so when the Imperial Senate voted to confirm him. To obtain such high rank with such an ordinary background, he must either possess considerable skills at backroom dealing – and be good enough to cover his tracks from my agents – or he's merely a front man for somepony else.

Either way, he's currently one of the most high-ranking members of the Gryphus Empire, and his cooperation, or lack of it, could have a major impact on negotiations. It's important that we get along, or at least establish a reasonable degree of trust.

I size the Speaker up personally as the first course is being served around us. A light soup and salad combination, with what I recognize as chicken in the gryphons' bowl, though mercifully not in mine. I know I shouldn't disdain the gryphons for eating meats, as until very recent advances in dietary supplements it wasn't even biologically possible for them to stay healthy without doing so, but I'm still a pony and an herbivore. Seeing living creatures consume other living creatures makes me a tad nauseous.

Thankfully, I am a princess and if there's one thing I've gotten good at over all my years of politicking, it's concealing inconvenient feelings. I extend my hoof across the table to the Speaker and put a smile on my face. He gives me a slow up and down with his golden eyes before taking my hoof in a talon and lightly shaking it.

"Hello, I am-"

He cuts me off. "Princess Celestia of Equestria, I am aware. You could hardly be mistaken for anyone else."

It's a bit rude to interrupt your guest, but it gives me more of a sense of his personality, so I don't mind so much. "And you would be Speaker Etton of the Imperial Senate, would you not?" I ask in a polite tone.

"Hmmm?" he looks up from the bowl of soup he has just taken a spoonful of. "Oh. Yes, that would be me. Congratulations on figuring it out."

My smile fades somewhat. This is certainly different from the normal breed of supplicating politician I'm used to dealing with, and it clashes with what my agents reported on his previously non-confrontational demeanor.

"Well," I continue, ignoring the impoliteness of his response, "I simply wished to say that I am honored and pleased to meet you at last, and to offer my congratulations on your recent appointment."

"Pity I can't say the same about you," he replies in between a mouthful of salad.

I frown slightly. "Pardon?"

He swallows another forkful of salad before responding to me. "Do I really need to elaborate on it? You are here to "mediate" talks between the Empire and another nation."

"Yes. And your issue with that would be…"

He rolls his eyes and touches up his beak with a napkin. "You are a pony. You rule a nation of ponies. You, as you have put it in your speeches, love all your little ponies. The Prench, whatever else they may be, are ponies. We," he points to himself, the Emperor, and then gestures to the other tables. "Are not. That you will be biased against us from the start is a given. You should not be here."

Very blunt, very uncharacteristic of most politicians. "I assure you, Speaker, that my neutrality in these matters a matter of public record and-"

"I don't believe you," he interrupts again. "You and yours think my kind disgusting, barbarian meat-eaters. I have been around enough of your kind to know that much of you. How can we expect impartial mediation and oversight from a ruler of a land with such an attitude? I argued against inviting you from the start, but his majesty," he inclines his head towards the Emperor. "Saw fit to ignore my council, and the Senate agreed. Nonetheless, my opinion towards you remains the same. I believe his majesty and my fellow Senators have made a mistake in trusting your judgment."

"Very to the point, Speaker."

He shrugs. "I see no reason to dance around it. If half the things I've heard of you are true you could pull the information directly from my mind regardless."

Not without time and proper restraints, not to mention privacy. I can pull memories from a living thing, true, but it requires time and can be resisted by sufficient willpower. Not to mention it would be something of a diplomatic faux pas to do so in public, during a mealtime. So the good Speaker's mind is safe from me, at least for the moment.

"Insulting a foreign dignitary usually isn't considered politic," I point out, taking a brief glance at the Emperor, who seems to be watching our conversation with a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I do not mean to offend. You have remained in power for a very long time, and I respect that. But your experience in ruling ponies does not make you fit to oversee negotiations between my kind and yours, any more than my political experience makes me a fit judge of airship engineering."

"Is there anything I could say or do to change your mind on this, Speaker?"

"Yes. You could publicly admit your unsuitability for the role of impartial overseer, resign the responsibility, and leave the settling of the affair to those nations that are actually involved. Unless," he raises an eyebrow. "Equestria also makes claims on the Senadas?"

I shake my head. "You know we do no such thing, Speaker."

"This is true, to my knowledge."

"But I am afraid that I cannot comply with your conditions. I have been duly invited by both the government of the Gryphus Empire and that of Prance to serve as mediator. I will not turn down a chance to do my part in preventing unnecessary bloodshed."

"Hmmm, pity. So be it, then." He goes right back to that revolting meaty brew and doesn't so much as look at me again.

That… did not go as well as hoped.

* * *

The remainder of dinner goes off without too much in the way of stimulation, and I leave the table with a sense of vague disappointment, as well as a determination to improve my spy network. From the files I read on him, I had expected Speaker Etton to be a softspoken and tact individual inclined to moving with the crowd, not a blunt straight-shooter who kicks things off by expressing distaste for the mediator. A lesser princess might take the sort of comments he made personally.

I clearly need to improve my information network in the Empire, if they were so spectacularly wrong about such an important individual. I suppose I shall have to see to that when I return to Canterlot at the end of this. It wouldn't do to be surprised again. I wonder why Emperor Serath chose to stay out of the conversation even when his judgment was being called into question. In an honor-bound nation like the Gryphus Empire, such words can rise to the level of honor duels on occasion. But then, I suppose it's possible he wanted to avoid more public squabbling than was necessary, or perhaps he was even behind the Speaker's bluntness, to test how I would react to insults.

A quartet of guards, two gryphon and two pegasus, escort me to what are to be my chambers during this summit: an artificial cavern carved into the stone near the mountain's peak, lushly decorated in a broad imitation of Canterlot style. An elevated wooden platform surrounded by curtains functions as an effective private room, while the lower cavern floor is more a reception area. I can see that one of the walls has had a door carved into it, to allow flying creatures easier access no doubt. Perhaps I shall get that chance to stretch my wings after all.

"Will these be to her majesty's liking?" asks one of the armored gryphons, whose name I don't believe I've picked up, but who wears the colors of a lieutenant.

I smile and nod. "Yes, and I thank you and your Emperor for his hospitality."

He looks satisfied. "Very good then. We shall be posted in the hallway outside." He points to a rope hanging from the ceiling with a talon. "You may ring if you require anything during your stay."

I nod again. "You have my thanks, Lieutenant. I am sure I shall be quite comfortable here." A bit of a lie, but it sounds nice and there's no reason to be rude. "You are dismissed."

The pegasi salute me and take up position outside the cavern's wooden door, followed shortly by the gryphons. The last pulls the door closed behind him, and I am alone.

Or so it would seem.

"You can come out now," I say, without turning my head.

There's a twang, and a projectile hurtles towards me from within the curtained platform quicker than blinking. But I'm faster, and more to the point was expecting this ever since I stepped into this room and heard the soft sound of the intruder's breath. I simply didn't want any guards to wind up getting hurt.

A golden aura envelopes the projectile and brings it to a swift and unceremonious halt before it can hit the base of my neck. I turn around and take it in with a glance. A crossbow bolt. Cold iron tip for puncturing magical forcefields, runic engravings against magic, and dipped in what I do believe to be concentrated essence of red nightshade. It's very toxic stuff, known to virtually disintegrate the organs of anypony unfortunate enough to get it in their system.

I believe this thing might have caused me stomach pain.

In any case, my would-be killer doesn't get a chance to try again – he too is gripped by my telekinetic aura and pulled right out of his hiding place in my bedroom. I yank the intruder directly up to my face before pulling the discharged crossbow from his talon. My attempted assassin is a gryphon with grey fur, white feathers, and what looks to be something of a limp on his rear left leg. He struggles against the gold magic holding him in place, but I'm far too strong and he has no chance of breaking free.

It seems that he realizes this too, for he opens his beak wide – and I hold it like that. I grip a small object inside his mouth and pull it out. As I thought: a poison pill. This one is devoted to his cause, I must give him that.

"I think not," I say, casting a small spell on the pill. The gryphon shakes with helpless fury as his suicide capsule bursts into flame in front his eyes. I pin him to the ground and steal a glance at his weapon.

It's an unmodified Gryphus Empire military model, latest design if I recall correctly. Thousands of these things are in the talons of gryphon soldiers nationwide, and there's nothing in particular distinguishing this individual piece from any of the ones held by some of the guards in this very city. Perhaps this gryphon stole it from one of them. Perhaps he is one of them.

My would-be assassin glares up at me with an impotent fury. He's not afraid, I can tell from the look in his eyes, just angry that I'm still alive. Couple that with the poison pill he had in his beak in case of capture, and it's obvious this one is no hired killer or mercenary – he's devoted.

"So," I ask the gryphon, still pinned helplessly to the carpeted stone floor. "We have never met before. Might I ask what I have done that makes you feel that my death is the best solution?"

He just growls angrily at me, refusing to speak a word.

"We do not have to be enemies, you know. I would rather we be friends."

He glares mutely.

"I don't know what you have been told by your masters about me and why I need to be killed, but I can assure you that it is almost certainly a lie."

I loosen my control over the gryphon's head, and he manages to spit at my hooves.

I sigh. "Very well, have it your way then." I turn away from my pinned assailant and raise a hoof next to my mouth. "Guards!" I call.

One of the pegasi is the first through the doorway. "Your highness!" his eyes dart around the room, finally settling on myself and my attacker. He swallows nervously. "Are you alright, my lady?"

"I am the picture of health, Sergeant Kicker," I answer him. Which is true, literally in some cases – my ponies like to use me for an example of ideal personal wellness. "Would you all please be so kind as to take this would-be killer to prison for me?"

My guards and the gryphons hurriedly slap cuffs on the prisoner's legs as I hold them steady. They search him for weapons, drawing a pair of daggers and even a small secondary hand crossbow from his bag and hidden sheathes on his rear legs. When he's safely restrained and I am confident that he has no more surprises hidden about his person, my golden magic aura fades away. The guards yank him roughly to his feet and begin pushing the sullen gryphon out the door.

"And do be careful," I call after them. "He may try to hurt himself or somepony else. Don't let that happen!"

A gryphon and a pegasus drag my attempted and still silent assassin down one of the carved stone hallways, while another runs off to summon more guards. I find myself feeling rather touched by evident anger in the guards' eyes – they, even the gryphons, care for my safety. It's rather quaint.

Well, I've been here for a few hours and managed to completely put off a powerful politician by my mere presence. On top of that, somepony's already tried to kill me in my bedroom for unknown reasons.

So, all in all, not my worst summit ever.


	4. Chapter 4

Cadence

"And that is why I believe that the proposed tariff reduction should be rejected by this august body," finishes the pegasus standing behind the podium opposite my throne. Took him long enough.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at the round of polite stamping that passes through the Grand Council of the Crystal Empire. Most of these stallions and mares plan to vote in favor of the legislation anyway – so my agents assure me, at any rate. I for one frankly could not bring myself to care less what our tariff on imported… what was it again? Something to do with railroads, I think. Locomotive engines? Coal? Freight cars? Whatever. Tariffs and taxes go up and down all the time with the passing of generations, and unless I can see that it's going to seriously hurt somepony or the Empire as a whole, I'm generally alright with leaving this aspect of governance to subordinates.

I get to my hooves and ritually call for a vote now that we've heard the final cases in favor of and against the proposed legislation. The ponies in the semicircle of surrounding my throne each raise a small green flag for "yea", a red flag for "nay", or a white flag to signal abstention. The results are carefully noted and recorded by the attending scribes. It's one hundred fourteen in favor, twenty-three opposed, with thirteen abstentions. Just as my ponies told me it would be, an overwhelming majority in favor.

The proposed bill then passes to me for final approval. As Princess of the Crystal Empire, I have final authority on what may or may not become law. The council has the right to draft and propose almost anything they may wish, but if I decide against it nothing happens. Fortunately for them, as the Empire has grown and my attentions have been… diverted by other matters, I've found it much simpler to allow them to take on more of the burden of our governance and only intervene when needs must. They may not have any legislative power beyond what I allow, but many of them have the power to make my life much more complicated if I threw my weight around more. And since that would mean I have less time to work on a solution to my most serious problem… well, if the council wishes to manage the petty affairs of state, they're welcome to it. I just wish I didn't have to sit through it.

Technically Shining has every bit as much authority as I do, but in practice things just tend to work more smoothly with the majestic alicorn instead of the animated statue presiding, so the throne beside my own is more often than not empty these days. I hope that will change soon; a partner would make enduring these sessions far less tedious. But until that day comes, one of us has to be here to approve or reject all legislation, and right now that's me.

I give my approval with a cursory glance at the bill. Like I said, this is trivial to me and I'm confident in the ability of my councilors to manage elementary work alone, and in my numerous staff to alert me to anything untoward in the legislative pipeline. In any case, if I do accidentally make a mistake, I can undo it basically at will. For all the drawbacks and distractions it brings, there are benefits to being supreme ruler.

"And let it be known," booms Thundering Voice, still our Royal Herald after all these years, though he's getting on up there. I expect he'll be retiring soon. "That on this day, the twenty-first of frostfell, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza did hereby…"

Blah blah blah. I tune him out. No offence to the stallion, but is it really that hard to just say "the bill passes"? Must we do everything in this exaggerated manner? That's half the reason these assemblies take so long.

I sigh internally. But bombast and pomp are what the nobility wants, and even an alicorn has to cater to them to a certain extent to enable a proper functioning of her nation. That's why a full fifty of the one hundred and fifty seats on the Grand Council are reserved for members of nobility, rather than democratically-elected representatives from across the Empire. Some ponies wanted even more than that when we founded this council to assist us back when Shining was properly alive, but they were taught their place. I will make concessions for the sake of my subjects, but nopony had better test me when my temper's up.

I turn just the slightest amount of attention back to Thundering Voice as he continues on in his bass tone. "Next on the order of business is the issue of a proposed amendment to the regulations regarding the importation of nonnative flora from the Zebrican continent. Presenting the proposal and making the case in favor is her ladyship, Shining Sunstone,"

I again suppress my urge to roll my eyes at the polite stamping as the orange-gold mare takes the stage. I'm going to have to spend the next hour listening to these ponies argue about whether it's ok to import particular breeds of exotic flowers for their gardens or not.

This is going to be a long afternoon.

* * *

Celestia

"And I assure you, your majesty," declares the armored gryphon in front of me in what he's trying to make seem a confident tone. "That the captain of the East Wing city guard has been dismissed for his laxity, and the Imperial Guard has taken custody of the prisoner and will be conducting a full investigation. We shall get to the bottom of this treacherous attempt on your life, you have my word."

"I thank you for your diligence, Captain Gidon. I am certain that I am in safe talons with the Imperial Guard on the job." I reply, favoring him with a reassuring smile. In truth, I'm more worried that they will be hurt than that I will, judging from the frankly subpar attempt to kill me earlier. I've seen far more cunning efforts over my long life.

"We shall not rest until every perpetrator is hunted down and brought to justice," he vows with a talon clutched in a fist over his heart, for the fifth time in the past twelve minutes. He appears to be taking the lapse in security as a personal affront to his honor, in spite of it not even being his assigned task at the time.

"I am certain you shall not, captain. Again, my sincere thanks for your efforts on my behalf. You do your nation and emperor proud."

He visibly swells slightly with the praise. "Your words are kind, majesty. You shall know if and when anything is discovered."

"Then I suppose I should not delay you any further here," I say with a nod. "You are dismissed, captain."

He salutes me, returns the helmet to his head, and marches duly out the door to my quarters, the exterior of which are now positively swarming with armored pegasi and gryphons, looking on high alert. Captain Gidon wished to post guards inside my room as well, but I vetoed the idea. I desire privacy more than I do more potential casualties among my protectors. Anything capable of harming me would tear through them, so I feel that diverting Imperial Guards from gryphons as highly placed as the Speaker of the Senate himself to guard me was excessive, but my honor-bound hosts insisted. Their need to feel like they are doing something to protect an important guest overrides the logical fact that I need little protection from anything that they can overcome.

Once again, I make concessions to the wills of mortals for the sake of their egos. I just hope they don't get themselves killed if somepony else decides to take a shot at me.

* * *

A day and a night pass me by like so many immaterial wisps on the wind. I choose to spend the time reviewing the facts on the case before me for one final time. It is, in truth, a rather straightforward case as far as international incidents go:

The Senadas are a small set of islands some few dozen miles off the coasts of the Gryphus Empire. Essentially twenty-one barren rocks sticking out of the oceans, little lives on them beyond some especially hardy breeds of lichen and shrub, along with the occasional flocks of migratory seabirds that take advantage of the isolation and lack of predators to lay their eggs in relative safety. They were discovered and nominally claimed by the Gryphus Empire almost three thousand years in the past, but the simple fact is that they were strategically and materially worthless to the predators. Compared to the richer pickings elsewhere, the Empire found no reason at all to build on or occupy the isles, instead claiming them simply for the sake of doing so. Mortals and their need to clutch at even the most petty of possessions.

This state of affairs continued until some six hundred years ago, when the Gryphus Empire was in the midst of one of its intermittent civil wars. One faction, rallying under the banner of a lesser daughter of the dead Empress Scyla II, claimed the isles among its territory. When the war turned sour for them and their coffers began to run dry, they resorted to selling whatever they could find to continue the fight against the empress's other children. Among the things they sold was the Empire's claim on the Senadas. In that age, before the Revolution overturned (and decapitated) the monarchy for good, Prance was experiencing an economic boom and was ruled by an inexperienced king who enjoyed flaunting his newfound wealth. He purchased the Gryphus Empire's claim to the islands on a whim, before discovering them not to his liking and continuing the prior policy of total neglect.

Eventually, the civil war ended with the destruction of all of the empress's offspring but one, and that victor, then crowned Emperor Serath XII, did not acknowledge the legitimacy of his sister's actions. He asserted that, as she was nothing more than a pretender and usurper to throne that was now his, she had no authority on which to auction the property of the crown. The Prench believed that their purchase was legitimate, continuing to argue that they were the rightful owners of the isles. The issue has never been resolved, but until a very short time ago nopony had that great an interest in the ownership of valueless rocks in the middle of the ocean. Even the most proud and aggressive and domineering of leaders chose to fight over something more worth their while.

Then, a handful of weeks ago now, some enterprising Prench marine biologists visited the isles to catalogue their underwater life. By sheer chance, in the course of their dives they stumbled upon underwater caves containing an abundance of gemstones. Analysis of the recovered samples proved a magical energy content far higher than normal, making the jewels valuable for everything from boosting the natural magic of spellweavers to providing power for cities or airships.

When the naïve scientists announced their discovery publically, the international community went into a tailspin. I wish I had been there to hold them to silence until a more appropriate time, but even my eyes have their limits. When hurried official geological studies by the Prench and Gryphus governments indicated a high probability that the Senadas contained considerably more of these gems, the issue nearly reached crisis point. Both governments asserted their total right to ownership of the isles and their natural bounty, and neither was willing to recant their claims. The tensions mounted, and many, including myself, seriously feared that it would come to blows if either side moved to enforce their claims. Before that could happen, more level-headed factions in the twin governments, some secretly at my behest, managed to convince their leadership to call for a conference to discuss and hopefully resolve the issue between them. I was duly invited to mediate between the two.

This may be somewhat difficult, but I believe I can find a compromise between the two sides before it comes to war. Nopony needs die over shiny rocks at the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

I stand at the side of Emperor Serath on a flattened landing platform outside of the mountain that makes up Ostflugel proper, a heavy wind whipping through my mane and the sound of enormous engines drowning out all else. Above us, a trio of gigantic white Prench airships is in the process of a coordinated landing. Pegasi and gryphons alike fly back and forth between the ground and the impressive-looking warships, affixing moors and guiding the pilots into a careful touchdown.

As they get closer, I can pick out details on the Prench airships. Each is a latest-generation model of pony warship, capable of carrying hundreds of soldiers in the armored compartments beneath their vast, reinforced gasbags above. Siege weaponry and battle wizard platforms are displayed prominently along their sides and top, while the bottom visibly possesses great bay doors capable of opening to unleash airborne soldiers or explosives in equal measure. Each one is a powerful weapon capable of unleashing devastation on ground and air alike, and not something to be taken lightly. Equestria possesses its own equivalents of these ships, and as somepony who has seen them in their demonstrations, I know and respect just what they can do to soldiers or civilians unfortunate enough to be caught underneath.

That Premier Radient Light is arriving in three of them tells me a great deal about his attitude towards the peace process.

* * *

Shining Armor

I skim the report in my hooves with an incredulous expression on my face.

"That's it?" I demand of the stallion in front of me, perhaps a bit more roughly than I should.

To his credit, he stands his ground. "Yes sir. That's all. No evidence we've gathered suggests there is any more to their connection than that."

I pound my hoof onto my desk, actually cracking it (the desk, and my crystalline hoof) a bit. "That's not good enough! I need something better! Some substance! Don't you have anything more on those two?"

He remains as stoic as ever. "I'm sorry, sir, but facts are facts. There is simply no evidence to suggest that the relationship between Lady Rose Quartz and Lady Opal was ever anything more than a series of non-magical commercial transactions between their households. I've done the best I could to thoroughly investigate all the interactions between the two that I could find, including their council voting records, personal visits, and all the financial records I was able to access. That's it, sir."

"Aaaaaahhh…" I moan, running my hoof over my face. My subordinate, Sharp Eye, simply stands stoically where he is and waits for me to finish. With a sigh, I eventually do and return my attention to him. "Thank you for your hard work, Sergeant."

"Anything for the Empire, sir. Will there be another name you wish me to dig through?"

I think about it for a moment before shaking my head. "No, not at the moment. I'm sorry to have pulled you away from your usual duties. You can return to them."

He salutes. "No need to be sorry, sir. Investigating a traitor to the Empire is always a worthwhile pursuit."

"Be that as it may, you can go now."

"Yes sir. Let me know if there's anypony else you wish me to dig up dirt on."

Sharp Eye's a good pony, I decide as he leaves my office and shuts the door behind him. I borrowed him from a police investigative unit to do some snooping on my behalf, and I'll admit he's as thorough as his record led me to believe. But he didn't find anything of what I was looking for, and now my latest theory's been dashed.

I still haven't gotten anything on Lady Quartz's unknown conspirators. I've been running investigations of her closest associates for years now, ever since Cadence started deteriorating. But nothing I can find indicates they were at all complicit in her actions, nor that they are doing anything untoward with my wife. Lady Opal was one of the longshots, and she didn't turn up anything fresh either. I need a clue, a lead, anything really. I can't just leave Cadence to continue hurting like she is.

I suppose I've got no choice, then. I know it seems weird for a pony who most consider some type of undead, but I don't like the idea of desecrating a grave. It's always seemed… wrong to me. And Lady Quartz has been buried in her ancestral plot for decades now. But I need something to point me in the right direction. I need to examine the spell she used, and there's only one place that the traces might remain: her corpse. But I don't know anypony skilled enough in magic to read the traces of twenty year old spells on a rotten skeleton and give something I can work with from it.

Well, that's not entirely true. I know one.

I pull out a sheet of paper and begin composing a letter.

_Dear Twilight…_


	5. Chapter 5

Twilight Sparkle

Sunday. My favorite day of the week. My day off.

I stretch my legs and wings wide in my comfortable bed, yawning. It's five thirty am. sharp, and time for Princess Twilight Sparkle to get herself up and about, even if the siren song of five more minutes beckons me back to the realm of slumber.

A mare has to keep to her schedule, after all.

Out of habit, my head drifts towards the plus-sized bed normally occupied by my number one assistant. He's still a heavy sleeper, that one. If anything, age and the innate draconic tendency to long periods of dormancy followed by brief spouts of intense activity have only made the problem worse. Well, that and Spike's remarkable ability to ignore even my most cleverly enchanted alarms.

I rub the last of the sleep from my eyes and… huh? …Oh, that's right.

Twilight you goof, Spike isn't here right now.

As it does once every twenty years, the dragon mating season has come. All dragons of sufficient maturity feel the inborn call to distant Southern Badlands. This year, Spike confided in me that he wanted to go. Alone this time. We've been to the last three, but only for research purposes. I must say that the results were quite fascinating and well worth the numerous burns and hasty flights for one's life inevitably endured in the course of such field work. I would highly recommend any interested parties consult my recently published work _Fiery Passion: The Draconic Reproduction Cycle_, which hopefully should have been removed from the erotic literature shops by now. _Some_ ponies just don't…

Sorry, I'm rambling, aren't I?

Anyway, the point is: Spike wanted to go on his own this year, and I promised to let him. For the next six months, two weeks, three days, and approximately nine hours, if my calculations are accurate, it's just me and the staff here. I never truly enjoyed having guards or servants, but Princess Celestia says image is important for royalty.

I make my way to my bedroom window in time to watch Celestia's sun peak over the mountains and cast its light down on Ponyville. No matter how many times I see it, watching that heavenly body bathe the slowly waking world in its warm radiance always puts a smile on my face. It never fails to remind me of my mentor – I'll always think of her that way, no matter what she says about us being equals now. Princess Celestia may be away right now, but her star is always there to give me fond memories of the mare who's been a virtual second mother to me.

Today, the sun looks down on a very different Ponyville than the one I first arrived in all those centuries ago. A full-fledged alicorn princess living in a crystal tree-palace for generations will do that to a small town. Now Ponyville is a large city in its own right, with a population of hundreds of thousands of souls spread across mile after mile of flatlands. Apart from the Everfree Nature Preserve, I can't see anything but buildings and roads for miles around my house. The city itself is a fusion of the ultra-modern Manehatten approach to innovation with the ageless grace and classical elegance of Canterlot. At least, that's how the travel brochures describe our fair town.

I don't mean to sound like I'm boasting or anything, but I like to think that I've played a substantial role in turning our fair community into a beacon of learning. Directly beside my castle is the University of Friendship (they wanted to call it Princess Twilight University, but I told them off), where students from all over our nation and beyond come to study. I like to teach classes there when I can find some room in my schedule, and give guest lectures when I can't. Another institution I played a part in creating is the Museum of Harmony, a gallery dedicated to the pivotal moments in our time as the Elements of Harmony. My friends may have chosen to pass away, but I've at least ensured that their story is remembered and celebrated. It's the least I could do for them.

With a final stretch of my wings to rid them of the last knots and stiffness, I turn away from looking down on Ponyville. Time for some breakfast. Most days I have to allow somepony else to make it simply because of limited scheduling, but on Sundays I can take the extra few minutes to pop down to the kitchen and make it myself. No sense in getting a big head and thinking myself above mundane activities of daily life.

I make something simple: oats, with a dash of cinnamon and some blueberries for added flavor. My kitchen staff (had to hire them after Spike got too big to properly work the equipment) have today off, so it's just me in there, humming a little tune and using magic to assemble my morning meal. I trot out of the kitchen and simply munch from the bowl as I walk, enjoying the break from protocol.

Today's my personal day, so you know what that means: books, books, and more books!

First I'll sort, catalog, and file away all the new additions to my collection I've received over the last week. Then I'll work on my latest work to be published. Next, I'll settle down and do some light calculus exercises to keep the old noggin' sharp. And then I can sit back and check the newest textbook editions at the University for accuracy. And then I get to-

Sorry, rambling again. Old habit.

Anyhow, I could teleport straight to my library, but I prefer to walk when I can. On my short journey through the castle, I graciously receive the salutes of guards and the bows of servants as best I am able with my face half stuck into a bowl and my mouth full of oats. I'm not exactly the model of royal dignity that my mentor possesses (except when around cake).

The hall outside my library is filled with pictures and portraits of ponies significant to me. One I'm especially fond of is the group shot of me with Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash. I miss them every day, but I acknowledge and respect their decision to move on rather than accept a new form like Shining Armor did. Another is a family portrait of Mom, Dad, Shining, Cadence, my husband Flash Sentry, and I. Only half of those ponies are around anymore, but I can still cherish my memories of those that are gone. I also have an official portrait of myself alongside Princesses Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. I remember holding that pose for hours waiting for our painter to get everything just right.

Right beside the double doors leading to my private library are another picture of myself and my friends, and another of my husband and I with our foals. My two daughters, Morning Shimmer and Vivid Star, and my son, Astral Haze. The last, my youngest, was nothing more than an infant colt cradled in my wing when we took that picture. Now he's centuries dead, along with almost everypony else. I have descendants, but they've spread out all over Equestria and sadly don't tend to visit me much.

Still… if I had to do it all over again, I'd make the same decisions. I mourn my friends, but the time we spent together changed my life, and the world itself, permanently for the better. And being a wife and a mother was like no experience I've ever had, before or since. My little ones… I can't be with you anymore, but wherever you all are I hope you know that Mommy still loves you and always will.

It's bittersweet to be regularly reminded of everypony I've known and lost, but keeping them alive in your heart is the key to making sure that it was all worth it. That's what Princess Celestia taught me, and gods know she's seen loss: her parents, her caretakers, her husband, her children, her sister, and even her race itself, all gone. A thousand years of loneliness, with nopony but herself for company. I hope and pray I never have to experience anything like that.

In a somewhat more reflective mood after my trot through my portrait gallery, I open the doors to the vast labyrinth that is my personal library. To put the sheer size of the thing into perspective, if I hadn't enchanted the room's dimensions to be spatially distorted into fitting inside the castle's original space, my library would take up far more room than the entire crystal castle itself. A pony could get lost in here for days if she's not careful and/or spontaneously decides to reorganize the whole thing.

Not that that's ever happened to _me_, of course.

I take a few steps in, to my sorting desk near the entrance. There, I store all the books that I'm given as gifts, receive in tribute, purchase myself, retrieve from an ancient ruin, or otherwise acquire during my week for classification, labeling, and shelf assignment. This week is relatively light load – only twenty six books to classify.

Well, I'd better get to- Huh?

A letter appears in front of my face in a flare of light. I remove my muzzle from the bowl I had been focused on cleaning out to take a better look. Only a few ponies (and one dragon) have the spell to contact me this way. Otherwise, I'd be buried in a perpetual rain of mail. It's unscheduled, but I trust it must be something important.

I open the scroll and read over it quickly.

_Dear Twilight,_

_ While I'm reluctant as ever to worry my LSBFF, I think I may not have a choice here. Something's wrong with Cadence, and I need your help investigating what exactly it is. You're the only pony I can think of skilled enough in magic to do what I have in mind. Please reply as soon as you can, and when you have time I ask that you come to meet me in the Crystal Empire. I'll explain more then._

_Your BBBFF,_

_Shining Armor_

My eyes go wide, and I toss what's left of my breakfast aside. Cadence is in trouble? Shining needs my help? He doesn't need to ask me twice. Of course I'll help my family.

My pen is already writing a swift reply without my needing to look at it as I dash right back out the library door. Books will just have to wait.

* * *

Shining Armor

"Mmmmmm… Shiny…" my wife twitches underneath me. "Don't stop…"

We're lying on our bed, myself on top and Cadence on the bottom. All four of her long legs are wrapped around my smaller form, and her wings are gently brushing my flanks. I can see that this is happening, and the magic in my brain tells me where she's touching, but I don't get any sensation from it. In turn, my front legs are around her neck, and my rear ones encircle her lower stomach. It's as close as we can get to being intimate these days.

I nibble on her soft pink neck some more, and Cadence giggles from her bottom position. She gives me a long, slow kiss on the cheek, running her tongue over the hard, polished rock of my body. The long, flowing pink, violet, and yellowy-white hairs of her mane float this way and that, gently wrapping themselves about my face, neck, and chest. A few even cross my eyes.

I keep nuzzling and playing with her neck and face, stroking her mane as I bite and lick (I wet my mouth for this) her perfect rosy complexion. I can see a faint blush underneath the pink fur, and I press further. My hormones are long gone, but I'll be damned if this isn't bringing back fond memories. I sense the ghost of feeling where my… masculine parts once were. I want this gorgeous divinity lying on my bed, and I want her now.

But I can't have her. Not the way I want to. That was a sacrifice I willingly made, but that doesn't mean I don't wish things were different, especially right at this moment.

"Please…" her breaths are speeding up, and she's having a bit of trouble stopping "Please Shiny… don't stop…"

"Your wish is my command, your majesty," I answer, trying to sound passionate, which is harder than you'd think without a heart to race or adrenaline to pump through your veins or breath to desperately gasp for.

Cadence twitches and gasps as I go directly for her sensitive ears, pulling at her mane all the while. Her wings cease their tender strokes and stand at attention, while I sense her lower legs releasing me and going wide. I press on, pulling her divine mane almost to the breaking point, grasping her neck to the edge of strangulation, clamping down hard on her rosy flesh with my teeth, and knowing full well what's about to happen. Even after all this time it still seems a bit like sacrilege to do this to a demigoddess on earth, but that's what she likes.

"Oh… Oh… Oh… Oooooh…" my wife's body twitches and jerks underneath me, spasming violently in response to my touch. Then, all of a sudden, it's over. Like somepony hit a switch, her wings droop down, her forelegs release me, the hairs of her mane fall away, and she lays flat on her back and moans contentedly. "Aaaaaahhh…"

I look down and smile at her. So many memories…

Without warning, the warm smile vanishes from her face. Cadence sniffs and looks up at me, eyes visibly watering. "S-Shiny… I'm… I'm s-sorry…" tears start to trickle down those beautiful rosy cheeks. "I-I didn't… m-mean to… I just… I just…"

I put a hoof over her mouth and try my best smile. "Shhh…" I hug her gently. "It's ok… It'll be ok…"

Cadence's eyelids droop down to cover her violet eyes, and more droplets roll down her face, staining her makeup as they do.

I opt to stroke her mane softly, whispering sweet nothings in her ears. But deep, deep inside me, I can't fully repress a stab of jealousy. I shouldn't feel this way. I should grateful for all I have. I've had a wonderful life that most ponies could only dream of, a prosperous kingdom to call my own, a loving little sister, and wife of incomparable beauty and kindness.

So why am I feeling so down right now?

The damn voice chooses that exact moment to speak up again.

_This isn't…_

Well, you know.

* * *

AN: Feedback is requested and appreciated, as ever.


	6. Chapter 6

Cadence

I hang my head in shame and cry. Stupid, stupid mare. Tactless, uncontrolled foal. You couldn't keep a handle on your hormones for five more minutes? You just had to do that right in front of Shining Armor, in what was supposed to be a cuddle to try and make him feel better? Way to go, dear princess, now you've rubbed all he's lost on your account right into his muzzle with a flashing neon sign.

Shining is stroking my mane and trying to comfort me. It's nice of him, but really it only makes me feel worse about myself. He's suppressing the negative emotions that I could feel coming from him to try and make me happy – why did I have to ruin his day because I couldn't reciprocate? He sacrifices part of himself for me, I should have been able to do the same for him. I worry that the natural give and take of a healthy relationship is becoming all take, and I'm the greedy one.

I'm not entirely sure how much time passes on our bed while I mope about and Shining does what he can to try and make me feel better. It's times like these that I'm tempted to just come clean about everything and throw myself into his hooves and beg him to forgive me for all I've done… but no. I can't do that. Even if by some miracle my mind wasn't turned into a vegetable by Celestia's geas, all knowing what happened that night would do would be to get Shiny to march right up to her and confront her head on like I tried to do. The Royal Guard has an old saying: "When in doubt, charge," and Shining has always put great stock in that particular philosophy. He would get crushed like I did, or worse.

I can't even tell him about my experiments. There's no worse tease on suffering mind than just the slightest ray of false hope. I don't how long my project will take, or even if it will work at all. If Shining finds out, all it will do is give my poor stallion another painful stress on his emotionally-weary mind. Every day will be even worse for him, the knowledge that something might be done about his condition but that it can't be yet teasing and tormenting his mind day in and day out. It may yet take another twenty years to find my answers. It may take a hundred or more. I wouldn't have those years be any more painful to Shining Armor than I can help.

Our clock chimes for eight. Let's see, on Sunday… Tartarus' Gates. I have a meeting I have to attend of the Grand Council in fifteen minutes' time. Arse.

I hate these infuriating blowhards. They suck valuable time away from my duties that truly matter so they can discuss petty trivialities and feel like they matter in the grand scheme of things. The idea of telling them all to buck off and spending my whole day with my husband or in the lab is very tempting… but I can't. Like it or not, I'm a ruler in addition to a wife, and I still have duties to my subjects along with my marital ones. I have to make the Crystal Empire run smoothly, whatever else I may wish I was doing instead.

"Sorry honey," I find myself saying as I slip out bed. "I'm sorry for everything."

"I told you, it's _alright_, Cady. Why don't you just believe me?"

"I-It's not alright. I used you. I shouldn't have done that. This was supposed to be about your comfort, not mine."

Shining jumps off our bed and looks up at me, putting a hoof under my chin. "Cadence, when will you learn that your happiness means the world to me? If you're happy, I'm happy."

Such a big heart on such a brave stallion. Swoon.

I reluctantly push his hoof back to the ground. "I h-have to go now, Shining. The council has a meeting this morning, and one of us has to be there. And I'm the one…" I trail off, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence without hurting him further.

He smiles wearily. "You're the one they want. Their beautiful alicorn princess. Not a used-up old statue like me. I'm not an idiot, I can see that."

"Shining…" I don't like to hear him denigrate himself like that, even if the words are the truth. Even from his lips they make me angry; anypony else that said them to my face would be likely to get a few weeks to consider their mistake in prison. As of fourteen years ago, lèse-majesté is officially a crime within the borders of the Crystal Empire.

Shiny keeps smiling with that tired expression. "I'm only telling you the truth. Your subjects want you, so go on and do what you need to do. I'll manage for a while on my lonesome."

"_Our_ subjects," I correct him, brushing off the knowing smirk on his face. "And I… I don't… want to. I want to be here, with you," I confess, unsure whether I should be feeling guilty about that as well.

His smile vanishes, replaced by a slight frown. "We all have our duties, Cadence. Yours is to your ponies. Get out there and show them what it means to be a princess." He points his hoof at the door.

I bite my lip, considering it for a moment. "Alright, but on two conditons."

He shakes his head and smiles, like a father dealing with an eager little filly. "Name them."

"One, we're going out. Tonight. Just you and me, doing something nice together."

"Agreed," he replies.

"And two, you'll let me cast a new bit of love magic I've whipped up on you."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Oh…" I smile with just a hint of teasing about it. "I was thinking that since I can't make new memories with you, the least I could do is bring out the old for your viewing entertainment."

From his emotional radiance, he'd have a slight blush if any blood existed in his body. "Which memories?"

I giggle. "You'll just have to find out, won't you, Shiny?"

He shakes his head. "I guess I will. You have a deal, Cady."

"Great. It's a date then," I smirk teasingly. "Now sit back down and let the princess give her prince something special."

"As her highness wishes," he says with an over the top flourishing bow. He clambers back up onto the bed and sits down on all four legs. "Now what?"

"Shhh…" I tap his horn with my own, reaching into his mind. My love magic dredges numerous memories to the fore, but I reject them as unsuitable for the occasion. I want my first use of this spell I've designed to be… well, memorable.

Finally, the pink magic finds what it's looking for. "Now relax," I whisper to him as invoke the spell. "And enjoy yourself."

Shining's eyes go wide and curiously vacant as the whole of mind is dragged back into the memory I've pulled up for him. For this, I've chosen the first night of our honeymoon, when we were both exhausted from the changeling attack and simultaneously burning with lust for each other. It was the first time we were ever intimate with each other… or with anypony, for that matter. That took years of strict self-control on our parts that was often far from easy, but I think it made our relationship that much the stronger in the end. And it was positively romantic in the extreme. Still brings tears of joy to my eyes, even now.

I leave Shining behind in the depths of my conjured show as I slip out the door. Have fun for both of us, my prince, because I won't be.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle

My long violet wings carry me north with a speed not even the Wonderbolts of the current age could match. Chariots are cozy and royal-looking, but they're not as quick as I want for this. I'd even hazard that if Rainbow Dash could see me now, she'd demand a race for the title of Equestria's fastest flyer after I was done with this task.

Yeah, suddenly flying across the nation by yourself without much warning and leaving only a brief explanation behind isn't exactly considered proper princess behavior, but who cares? My family needs my help, and I'll be damned if I let them down now. I know Shining and Cadence would do the same for me.

Hours pass in my flight. Below me, the well-populated heart of Equestria slowly gives way first to the smaller villages closer to the border, then to the wilder forests of the north, then to the pine forests and tundra that mark the edge of the Crystal Empire. Small towns of the Empire's distinctive crystalline architecture style flash below me, growing steadily larger as I continue my journey north towards the Imperial City, the seat of the Empire's rulers since time immemorial. There isn't much air traffic to worry about: even after centuries of interconnectedness with Equestria, the Crystal Empire's pegasus population remains a distinct minority that tends to concentrate itself around the capital in any case.

Eventually, I spy in the distance the enormous tower-palace that marks the Imperial City and my goal. As I begin my approach, I'm met for the first time by a pair of pegasi in the armor of the Crystal Guard.

"Halt!" one of them shouts as soon as she's in earshot. "This is restricted airspace! All flying visitors are required to land and enter through standard-" She cuts herself off as she recognizes just who she's talking to. "P-Princess Twilight. Your m-majesty. Please, forgive me." The mare and stallion bend their heads to me, even though technically as a foreign ruler I don't have any claim to their allegiance. I don't believe I've met these two before, and they're no doubt worried about what I might say to Cadence and Shining.

"It's quite alright," I reassure them, doing my best to mimic the comforting smile Celestia always uses to make me feel better. "You were only doing your jobs. But if you wouldn't mind speeding up my entry, I'd be much obliged." I really don't blame them - the Crystal Empire has had to take measures to restrict immigration to the Imperial City ever since a major population boom threatened to overtax the city's resources, and since then has been trying to move more of the population into newer and smaller locales throughout its northern lands.

"Of course, your majesty," says the mare with a continued look of embarrassment on her face. She leans over and whispers something to the stallion, then points towards the palace. He nods, salutes, and dives towards it and out of sight. She turns back to me. "If you would please follow me, your grace."

"Certainly." Still don't really like all the titles and formality, but I'm not going to waste time arguing about it now.

* * *

I'm lead into the very familiar Imperial Palace, seat of the Empire's governance and site of several of my more memorable adventures. Granted, my first impressions of it weren't very good, but in all the years since I find that it's far homier with Cadence and Shining living here instead of Sombra.

I've been in this particular waiting room before, but it looks to have been remodeled since last time. The old Imperial-style furniture has been removed and replaced by more modern neo-Canterlot pieces, and somepony's laid down a carpet. Also, I see a portrait of a younger Cadence and a living unicorn Shining in full royal regalia, sitting on twin thrones and looking benevolently down on their subjects. I don't believe I've seen that particular painting before. Huh. Has it really been that long since I came here last? How the years fly by. I really should visit more often.

I sit back on the sofa and reminisce. A servant comes by to offer me some tea and a platter of refreshments. I take them graciously and eat with all the dignity and poise that – ah, who am I kidding? I stuff my face with cheese and crackers and olives. In my defense, I _did_ just make a cross-country international flight on my lonesome with no breaks and only a light breakfast in my stomach. Sure, I can go without food if I need to, but at the cost of burning magic to fuel my body instead (like Cadence did when trapped in the Canterlot caves for weeks on end) and that makes me weaker. Besides, food is yummy and I want some now.

Wouldn't you know it; the door swings open just as I'm in the middle of licking the cracker crumbs off the silver platter. Welp, that's going to be a sight somepony will remember for a while. My ears are down while I'm blushing fiercely and praying to every god I can think of that they don't have a camera on hoof.

"Twily?" comes the sound of a very familiar voice that is rather obviously struggling to sound less entertained than it is.

I turn around to face the speaker. "Shiny!" I'm blushing even harder now – knowing him, he'll remember this moment for decades.

"Well," he spread his forelegs wide. "What are you waiting for? Come here and give your BBBFF a hug!"

I squeal in an embarrassingly filly-like manner, but so what? I rush up to embrace my brother, squeezing him nice and tight. He hugs me right back, and I lower my head so he can give me that playful noogie he's been doing since we were foals. We both giggle a bit and hold the embrace for a good while before finally consenting to let go.

Between you and me, I think we may have inherited that tendency from Mom.

"It's been too long!" he says when we are finally apart again.

"Seven years, three months, two weeks, six days," I reply automatically, before my brain catches up to my mouth and my ears fold back at the realization. Has it really been such a long time since we've visited? Here I am complaining about my relatives never visiting me and I've neglected my brother and sister-in-law for so long? Nice going, Twi.

Shining Armor chuckles a little sadly and shakes his head. "I should have known my little bookworm would have an exact date."

"Heh, yeah," I blush. "I'm s-sorry I didn't come to see you more, I should have-"

"Twily," he cuts me off. "We're both adults. We both have a lot of responsibilities to attend to. I understand that."

"Yeah, but-"

"But nothing. If anything, I'm the one who should be ashamed. I didn't find time to visit you either, and aren't I supposed to be the big brother around here?" A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. "Besides, I promise I haven't been lonely around here."

Shiny always knows just what to say to cheer me up.

He continues. "I've got Cadence and the family and everypony else for company."

Oh, right. Cadence, the reason I'm here.

"Speaking of Cadence…" I prod him.

Shining looks around the room with a wary eye. "Twily, I'd like to speak to you somewhere a little more private, if you don't mind," he says in a serious tone.

I nod. "That's fine with me. We'll talk wherever you think you need to." Now that I consider it, the fact that he didn't mention what exactly was the matter in his letter implies that whatever it is must be some sort of important secret. I shouldn't be surprised that he wants more privacy than a side chamber offers.

I follow my brother out the door, past saluting guards, through the hallways, up several flights of stairs, through another set of hallways, and to another door I recognize. Shining opens the door to his office and beckons me inside. I trot in, and he closes the door behind us and activates several protective enchantments that I can see.

"Twilight," he says once he's satisfied enough that we won't be interrupted. "I need you to promise me that what we say here won't get out of this room, no matter what else happens. Can you do that for me?"

I nod without hesitation. "Of course I can." I go through the old motions I still remember. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

My brother chuckles. "Cute. That's was Pinkie's, wasn't it?"

I nod again.

"Alright," Shining Armor sighs heavily. "Twilight, I need your help to desecrate a grave."

What.


	7. Chapter 7

Shining Armor

"You need my help to _what?!_"

I facehoof and shake my head. "Maybe… that wasn't the best way of putting it."

My little sister has an expression that just screams "no shit" on her face. I'm very thankful I can't blush at the moment.

"Ya think?" she manages, after a few seconds. At least she's more polite than I might be.

I remove my hoof from my face and try to reword my proposal. "Sorry, Twily, I've been under a lot of stress lately, and…"

Her expression softens, and she softly places a hoof on my shoulder. She doesn't say anything, but she doesn't need to.

Argh! Damn it all, she shouldn't be seeing me like this! I'm supposed to be her big brother, the one who protects and comforts. Not the other way around. It's embarrassing to think that, in addition to all the times I've failed in my duties before, now I can't even keep a poker face in front of my little sister. Stallion up, Shining Armor! You've got ponies who need you to be strong!

I gently guide her leg down from my shoulder and give myself a brief pause to collect my emotions before continuing. Had I any lungs, I would be taking a deep, calming breath right now.

Cadence's little show this morning _really_ didn't help me. I know she only wanted to try and make me feel better, but reminding me of the night when she and I consummated our marriage… Well, suffice to say that when a pony isn't feeling well because they can't have sex ever again, reminding them of some the best sex they've ever had isn't exactly that comforting. I waited before because I cared for Cadence, and if I'm honest because I knew there was a reward at the end that would make it all worth it. But, if all goes as I see it going, I'll spend forever and day waiting this time, with no end in sight…

Argh! Off topic, Shining! Focus, dammit, focus! Strength and discipline, like Sarge used to say. No whining like some over-privileged Blueblood brat.

Now then, where was I?

Ah yes.

"Anyway, Twily, let's start this again."

She nods, her eyes still showing concern.

"As I said in my letter, something's wrong with Cadence. For a long time now, she's been… how to put it? Off, I think would be the best way of saying it. She's not sleeping well, and she's jittery and reluctant in performing her royal duties. And the worst bit is that she's denying the whole thing and refusing to confide in me. I'm worried for her."

Twilight nods again, her ears folding back behind her head. "Do you have any idea what's causing this?"

I nod. "I think it has something to do with what happened that night. At the WFPC."

Her expression becomes one of anger for a moment, before shifting to thoughtfulness. "Shiny… have you considered that she might just be concerned about you? You came close to dying. It really scared everypony. Even Princess Celestia looked worried."

I shake my head. "No, there's more to it than that." I tap my chin as a thought comes to me. "Here," I reach into my desk with magic and pull out a case file. "Read this, and tell me what you think."

My LSBFF takes the file folder and leafs through it. She's always been a fast and avid reader, and I'm not surprised when she looks up from several dozen pages of summaries in far less time than I could.

"You think that Lady Rose Quartz had presently-unknown conspirators, but you don't know who and everpony you've checked has come up clean," she says. It's not a question.

I grin. "That's my Twily: astute as always."

"Have you showed this to Cadence?"

"Yeah. That…" I pause to search for a proper way to frame it. "Could have gone better. She got mad at me, denied that anypony but Ms. Quartz was involved, tore the papers in two, and made me swear to drop the matter."

Twilight's brow furrows. "But you didn't. Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's _hurting_, Twilight. And I can't leave her to suffer like that. I have to do something to help, even if I have to go behind her back to do it."

"You say she got mad and denied the weight of factual evidence?" When I nod, her frown deepens. "That's not normal behavior for her."

I shake my head. "It isn't, and trust me, I know. I'm worried that somepony is blackmailing her… or something. She has to have _some_ reason for behaving so oddly, and as her husband it's my duty to help her when she needs it, even if she doesn't see that she needs it." I sigh. "I've been going over this for twenty years, Twilight. But…" I hang my head with the shame of yet more failure.

Twilight nods again. "But you can't find anything on your own." She reaches out and lifts my chin up, looking me in the eye. "And don't be too hard on yourself. You're doing everything you can. You're a great brother, a great prince, and a great husband. Cadence loves you. _I_ love you. So don't beat yourself up too much, ok?" She smiles faintly before spreading her forelegs wide for me.

I shake my head. "You're as clever as you always were, sis," I embrace my sibling. "You know just what to say."

We hold our hug for a good while before she releases me. I do actually feel somewhat better, if a little embarrassed about needing another pick me up.

I gesture to Twilight. "Go on."

She nods. "So you want to try something you haven't yet. You want to examine the spell directly on Lady Quartz's corpse."

I grin. "Right again."

"But to do that, you need somepony who knows a lot about magic and can reconstruct and examine spell matrices from the smallest components."

"You know your stuff, Twily." I give her a playful punch on the shoulder.

She giggles and blushes. "That happens when you spend all day in a library for years on end."

"So now you understand?"

"Why you want my help?" She nods. "Definitely. It's a reasonable course of action to request outside assistance when one's own resources are inadequate to the task at hoof."

"Like _you _always do?" I tease her.

She blushes a little harder. "Heh, yeah. Like me."

We share a good laugh.

"So," I ask once we've had our little moment. "Will you help me?"

She grins broadly. "Of course I will! You can count on me, BBBFF!"

I smile. "I'm sure I can."

We embrace once more, though the tears in her eyes are of happiness this time instead of worry.

"Now listen up," she says, a confident look on her face. "I have a plan!"

* * *

And that's why I'm currently sneaking through a cemetery in a black ninja suit. In broad daylight. Behind my giant alicorn sister. Also in a ninja suit.

Weirdest grave robbery ever.

"Twily," I moan as we "stealthily" make our way between carved black and grey crystal tombstones. "Did we _have_ to wear these?"

She puts a hoof over her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Yep!"

"And did we have to do this at two o'clock in the afternoon?"

"Nope!" she grins.

"What will ponies say?"

_"Nothing!"_ she says with an exaggerated sigh. "I've told you a dozen times: I've put so many spells of concealment on these babies that it'll be a miracle if anypony even remembers that we exist while we're in them, much less notices that we're here."

"But why jet black ninja suits?"

"Gifts from an old friend, you might say. Now quit your whining and follow me."

I groan. "Couldn't we just teleport straight there?"

She snorts. "Yeah, if you want there to be a magical signature any ignoramus within a mile could examine. Now do you want my help or don't you?"

You can do this, Shining. It's for Cadence. "I do."

"Then shut your mouth and follow my lead."

Like I said: weirdest grave robbery ever.

We proceed through the mausoleums of the great and powerful of the Crystal Empire's history, not having to really do much to avoid anypony, as nopony's out here. I checked the site's funeral schedule to be sure before we left the palace.

After a few minutes of walking around and feeling thoroughly ridiculous, we finally come upon the tomb that we're looking for. Lady Rose Quartz is buried next to her late husband in a plot of land traditionally belonging to his household. I notice that nopony's come by to lay flowers in a very long time, and I can't decide whether to be spitefully gleeful (for trying to murder me, and for setting this whole thing off) or sad (because everypony should at least have somepony who cares). In the end, I settle for pity with just the slightest edge of "you got what you deserved".

"Pass me the stick," Twilight says, extending a hoof.

Did I forget to mention that I've carrying around this random piece of wood she found on the ground? Yeah, this is really bizarre and I can't help but wonder if my sister is high on something.

Still, I toss it to her. Her horn lights up, and the stick suddenly becomes a shovel. I suppose there is a method to her madness after all.

Twilight starts digging, scooping shovelfuls of dirt and lawn up and tossing them aside without ceremony.

"What, that's it?" I ask rather incredulously, as the alicorn Princess of Friendship digs a hole in the ground with her bare hooves.

She pauses and looks at me. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Well…" I shrug. "I just figured we'd magic it out or something. Not dig a pit in the ground."

"Magic it out?" Twily looks at me like I'm nuts. "Do you _know_ how many crazy defenses against magic these noble types like to put on their graves?"

"No," I offer, hesitantly. "Are you sure?"

"Let me put it this way, BBBFF: how many ancient royal tombs have _you_ excavated on the Lost Continent?"

She's referring to the original homeland of the pony species, westward across the sea, now lost to an endless winter thanks to the hatreds of the different types of ponies summoning the wendigoes. The tale of the Great Migration, as related on Hearth's Warming Eve back in Equestria, says that many of the royals of the land left behind great treasures and magic artifacts in their haste to flee, or buried them with their ancestors. I know Twily's taken an interest in recovering things from that period from time to time.

"None," I admit, eventually.

"Then you have no idea what you're talking about," she declares with an air of finality. "We dig."

Weirdest. Grave. Robbery. _Ever._

* * *

Well, it takes us a few hours to pry the coffin from the earth, refill the hole, regrow the damaged grass, and get the whole thing back to an unused palace storage room Twilight has chosen to commandeer for her "laboratory", but eventually we succeed. I frankly, am most glad to be out of that utterly preposterous ninja suit. I looked like the villain of some cheesy action film.

Twilight lays the long box upon a sturdy wooden table before prying it open with a perfectly mundane crowbar. I'd ask how she knew to do that, but frankly I probably don't need to know. She crinkles her nose when the crystal top finally comes loose, but looks proud of herself all the same.

"So," I say, coming over and looking down on the inside of our prize. The Lady, once a rather pretty mare, is now little more than a skeleton, with a few rotten bits of shriveled flesh hanging on here and there. From Twily's expression, it probably doesn't smell that much better than it looks.

"So?" she prods me on.

"So, have I gotten you everything you need?"

Twily takes a look around the room at the various bits of alchemy equipment, advanced chemistry textbooks, and the boatload of coffee she requested.

"Yep," she nods. "I think this should do fine. I can take it from here, BBBFF!" She punches me playfully on the shoulder. "Now go get ready for your date!"

"You sure?" I ask, "I can make up some excuse to stay and help you if-"

"Shining," she cuts me off. "I can promise you that I can handle this part on my own, no problem. If Cadence is hurting, what do you think will make her feel better: her husband and his sister hunched up together in a closet, or her husband on a night out with her?"

Dammit, she has a point. This isn't exactly my field of expertise in any case. I don't know how I would help her.

"Alright," I sigh begrudgingly. "You win. I'll go get ready."

"Excellent choice," she smiles.

I start to walk out the door, but Twily's voice interrupts before I can. "Oh, and Shining?"

I turn back. "Yes?"

She conjures a clothespin over her nose. "Take a bath or something. You stink."

Thanks, Twily.


	8. Chapter 8

Twilight Sparkle

Once I'm sure that Shining is gone, I seal the door shut behind him and drop the cheerful façade from my expression. Ok, it wasn't entirely faked, but honestly I don't think even Pinkie Pie could be that lighthearted in a situation as serious as this. I just thought my BBBFF could use a bit of a pick me up, and one lesson I've learned well is that laughter is contagious.

I won't lie: I feel kind of bad for doing this. I know it's for a good cause, but violating tombs is never an entirely pleasant idea for me. Poking at the bodies of unwilling ponies is even worse. But two ponies that have been there for me since I was a filly are counting on me (even if one of them doesn't know it yet).

I peer into the open coffin and remove the skeleton inside as delicately as I can, placing it on a long table I've set up for this procedure. I don't expect this to be easy – examining traces of magic for useful information after the spells have expired is a tricky business at the best of times; still more so when two decades have passed. And I have to hope the spell was cast on some biological component of the late mare, rather than on her soul, which is well beyond my reach.

I wish my brother had come to me sooner, but suppose he just didn't want to worry me. Well, that, or it's those issues he has with feeling useless (I don't know why he would, objectively he's achieved far more than most) that made him hold off. Probably some combination of the two, I decide.

The first step of the process is to figure out what part of Rose Quartz, if any, the spell was focused on. This will let me zoom in better on whatever's left of the magic after so many years of rotting underground. I close my eyes and fold my ears down over my head to shut out physical distractions. Taking a deep breath and concentrating, I open myself up to the Aether, the realm of all magic that overlaps the material world. Through my eyelids, I can see the flowing currents and patterns of magic all around me, from that attached to the souls of living ponies to the pure white gleam of the nearby Crystal Heart.

I look down at the body with my alternate vision. There's little left of the inherent magic of earth ponies about this cadaver, with just the slightest streaks of brown still nestling in the bones to identify her species. I sweep over the body again and again, carefully checking each nook and cranny. Nothing… Nothing… Nothing… Nothing…

Wait, what's that?

As I do a fourth examination of the skull, I spy something. It's very faint, but where the eyes used to be… there's just the slightest sheen of gold mixed in with the flowing brown of earth pony magicks. Not much to go on, and I can't tell anything about whether this is even the spell I'm seeking, but it's a start. With no better leads to go on, I'll start my examination on the eyes.

You know, this would have been much easier if she had been looked at while alive, but I guess Cadence and Celestia were in too much of a rage to bother to think of it. It's alicorn nature to be extremely wrathful when our loved ones are hurt. Ask Tirek if you don't believe me – if he hadn't been so tremendously supercharged with stolen magic after he destroyed my library and almost killed Owlowiscious, my attacks would have vaporized him on the spot, and I wouldn't have regretted it for a nanosecond. So I suppose I can't blame them.

Plucking the thin strand of gold from the flowing weave of brown without disrupting it is rather like attempting to dissect an ant under a microscope with just a pair of tweezers. I lose track of real time as I immerse myself in the effort, carefully unwinding the threads of magic so I can get a better look. This could be taking minutes, or hours. I'm fairly certain that I'd notice if it were longer than that.

Eventually, the magicks are separate enough that I can examine at least part of the hair-thin string of gold on its own. Yes… this is definitely a spell for manipulating minds. A potent one, at that. I've found my target. Now to analyze it.

A growl in my stomach tells me that I've been standing here for some time, and I have only begun.

This could take a while.

* * *

Cadence

Did you know that I've seriously considered abdicating?

No, really, I have. Don't get me wrong, I love the Crystal Empire and its ponies… most of them, at any rate. It's just that the politicking that goes on manages to be just the right combination of sycophantic, time-consuming, and inane to really put me off. Ponies go through elaborate routines to make trivial changes to our laws, and I have to put up with it or else they'll make life more difficult and eat up even more of my time. Sycophants who don't honestly give a buck about me constantly shower me with meaningless flattery, which is a walking insult to my domain. I get it, some ponies don't like me and never will; I don't enjoy that, but I accept it. But what truly makes me sick to my stomach is seeing the purity of love mocked by feigning affection for selfish gain. If you dislike me, fine, that's your prerogative, but come out and say as much. Don't insult me with servile fawning intended to butter me up. I'll respect you more for your honesty.

That's what I've had to endure for centuries – the price of rulership. To tell the truth, I'd probably be happier foalsitting again, basking in the sincere and innocent love that oozes from fillies and colts. Leaving the halls of power behind me and finding some homey little village to settle down in is recurring fantasy of mine.

But I can't do that. I'm an alicorn, and whatever else she may be, Celestia was right when she told me that it is the unavoidable destiny of our kind to rule. If Shining and I ever did settle down in some village somewhere, I would inevitably be beset by ponies asking for advice, instructions, and blessing. Even the most isolated backwater would eventually notice my ageless nature and feel the magic within me. Whether I held formal power or not, in a few short years, or decades at most, ponies would hang on my every word again. And so, power and the politicking that comes with it would follow me wherever I went.

Besides that, I can't just leave the innocent of the Crystal Empire to their fates. It may sound egotistical of me, but I can guarantee that the next ruler of the empire, whoever he or she was, wouldn't care for them quite the way I do. They're mine, and I'm theirs, bound together by generations of trust and love. It's my duty to keep them safe and happy, and ruling is a burden I bear for their sakes.

But none of that makes enduring the day-to-day tedium and false flattery any less irritating.

Why am I telling you this? Why whine about how hard the pretty pink ageless love goddess has it with her adoring subjects, beautiful kingdom, loving husband, and vast riches? I know I must sound like some griping drama queen, but I only want to give context to why I'm in a bit of a sour mood right now.

It's presently seven o'clock in evening, and for the last five hours I've done nothing but listen to a crowd of shameless upper-class sycophants tell me how great I am while "humbly" asking me to grant this or that. Honestly, the requests are interchangeable, and so utterly predictable, that even with a magically augmented memory I've already forgotten who asked for what. If I didn't have scribes writing it down, I wouldn't remember what I've even decreed today. Which only adds that lovely slice of guilt to my simmering pot of irritation – my duty demands that I remember things like that, and I don't because I'm selfish and bored. Some goddess.

So, to sum up, I'm busy getting ready for my date with Shining Armor while radiating a mixture of negative emotions, and feeling bad about _that_, too. I'm reapplying my makeup, going a bit heavy on the primer to hide the dark circles from lack of sleep. This whole thing is to try and make him a bit happier, and nothing spoils my husband's mood more than knowing I'm in a bad mood. He's already dealing with repressed depression because of me, I don't need to add anything more to it.

I finish dolling myself up, then smile and strike a pose for the mirror, looking over myself with a critical eye. I'm going for chaste beauty, not the sexy look that comes a bit too easily when I'm preparing for a night out. I try a couple more poses before deciding on a demure, almost submissive posture virtually guaranteed to inspire warm, protective feelings in a stallion. Shining's always been happiest when protecting others, and a lot of his issues are related to his perceived failures to do so. If I can make him feel just a bit more useful tonight, I'll call this idea a success.

Once I've finished applying just a tad more blush, chosen my jewelry (simple earrings and necklace, no crown or golden horseshoes tonight), and preened my feathers until they're just right, I decide that I'm ready. I'm sure Shiny is already all dressed up – stallions have it _so_ easy – and waiting for me in our chambers.

I walk down the stairs and through the doorway and… yep! Called it.

"My, oh my," I announce my entrance in a tone of faux surprise. "Whatever is yon roguishly handsome stallion doing in the fair princess's tower? Not here to steal me away, I hope?"

Shining, dressed in a smart-looking blue and gold uniform jacket, can't restrain a small chuckle. Then he gives me his best "handsome rogue" grin. It's adorable. "I'm afraid you're out of luck, princess, for that is _exactly_ what I've come here to do." His crystal horn turns a soft pink, and I'm gently lifted off my hooves and floated over to him.

"Oh, woe is me," I intone dramatically, a hoof over my forehead in a completely stereotypical wilting maiden pose. "For I have been captured." Shining sets me down beside him. "Will nopony help the poor damsel in distress?"

"I'm sorry to say that you're on your own this time, my lady," Shiny answers, wrapping a freshly-polished hoof around my neck. It's heavy, but I like the feeling all the same.

"Alas," I bend my neck down so that I'm looking meekly up at him. "Then it seems I am your helpless prisoner, oh villain most foul." I'm barely managing not to giggle at the sheer cheesiness of it all. "You may do with me as you will, but I beg of you to be gentle to this poor princess."

He smirks. "Not a chance, my lovely."

"Oh no! Truly is my doom sealed! Woe is me!" I put a foreleg over my forehead again and, in a ridiculously overdone performance, fall over backwards in a mock faint, letting out my hammiest sigh as I do.

It's too much for Shining Armor. He bursts out laughing, trying at first to conceal it behind a hoof but rapidly giving in to the urge and rolling over onto his sides. I try to resist, but the sheer corniness of the whole performance and the contagious nature of my husband's laughter soon gets to me, and I'm in stitches too.

An over-the-top performance with plenty of ham and cheese always works on him. He tries to be Mr. Super Serious all the time, but it always has. After almost five hundred years of marriage, I know his weaknesses as well as he knows mine.

When we finally manage to stop giggling like foals, Shining puts his hoof around me again. I feel a lot better already.

"So," he asks. "Where are we going? Your chariot drivers out there won't tell me."

He found them? Oh poo, I had hoped he wouldn't go out on the balcony before I was ready. Good to know that I picked a pair of trustworthy ponies at least.

"You weren't supposed to see them." I pout girlishly, then give him a light shove on the shoulder. "And it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you, now would it?"

"Aw, not even a hint?"

I giggle and push him softly again. "Nope, sorry, you're out of luck." I stick my tongue out at him.

"Fine, have it your way," Shiny says with faux indignation. He crosses his forelegs and sticks his own tongue right back at me.

"Hmph!" I stick my nose in the air and do my best imitation of cousin Blueblood, strutting towards the balcony door like I owned the world. Shining chuckles again before following me. Right as he's about to pass through the door, I notice him give a backwards glance out of the corner of my eye. Odd. Did he forget something?

I brush it off and lead us out to our well-appointed balcony, where two pegasi are waiting to pull us in our chariot. It's a little less private than I'd like, but Shining dislikes being carried by me and these two have already proved their discretion. Shiny, ever the gentlecolt, helps me on first, before climbing into his own space. I nod at the two pegasi, and they take off. I've already discussed our destination and timetable with them during a bit of downtime this afternoon, so nothing really needs to be said.

This far north, at this time of year, the sun has already set and Auntie Luna's moon and stars shine brightly above us. The sky is crisp and clear, without a cloud in sight, a fact with which I had nothing at all to do with. Well, maybe a little… Anyway, we rise high into the sky above the Imperial City before leaving its bounds altogether. Shining raises an eyebrow at that and takes another backwards glance, but doesn't say anything.

The always-cold north wind whips by us, its biting chill made even worse by the season and altitude. I snuggle up to Shining, bending down to lay my head against his shoulder. He smiles softly and rests his own head gently on top of mine, just like I like it. He wraps a hoof around my neck, while I put a wing over his back. His crystal body is as cold as the wind, but as mare capable of literally opening up her own chest and digging samples of her heart tissue out, I think I can tank it pretty well. Besides, it's not about me, not now.

We soar over towns and villages, pine forests and tundra. The wind continues to be strong, cold, and very, very loud. It would be pretty hard to talk here if we were trying to, but thankfully we're content just to enjoy a little time to just relax in each other's company. During that time, I notice Shiny take one or two more glances back towards the Imperial City. Odd… what is he worried about? Regardless, our journey takes about twenty minutes or so, but at long last I see the destination I picked for us.

Our drivers take us down slowly over a particularly isolated forest of pine trees, circling I clearing I informed them of before landing softly. The silence of the place is broken by the sound of hooves and chariot wheels crushing pine needles and stick underhoof. Shining looks around, obviously puzzled, and then gives me a questioning gaze. I just giggle teasingly and hop out, beckoning him to do the same. With a grin of cautious optimism, he does so, and our drivers fly away.

"So," Shiny says once they're gone. "A mare lures a stallion out into the woods by himself in the dead of night. Should he be concerned?"

I smirk and flick my flowing tail at him. "You tell me. Are you?"

"Maaaaaybe…" he smirks right back.

"Shiny!" I tease, playfully batting at his hooves.

He laughs. I love to hear that sound. "Alright, I'm not. As long as it's you."

"I'm pretty sure I'm me."

"Then I guess I have nothing to worry about."

"I guess you don't. Now follow me, Mr. Suspicion. I have something to show you."

I lead Shining out of the clearing and into the trees, taking the time to enjoy the relaxing sounds of a quiet woodland at night. Moonbeams filter through the branches to light our path, and from time to time I see little creatures scurry past at our approach. This forest in pony-tended, but the Crystal Empire's animals still tend to be a bit shyer than those of Equestria proper. Shining follows me closely, but I still catch glimpses of a worried expression on his face and homeward looks from time to time. What's eating him?

"Shining?" I ask as we emerge from the trees to find a crystal clear stream running through the woods, feed year-round by northern ice and snow.

"Hmmm? Yes?" he hurriedly switches his attention away from whatever he was thinking about back to me.

"Is everything alright?" I ask, a note of worry I didn't intend entering my voice. "You've been awfully quiet and you keep looking back. Is there something wrong?"

He hesitates. "…No." He's never been a very good liar.

I walk over to him and put a hoof on his check, stroking it softly. "Are you sure? If there's anything going on, you know can tell me anything, right?" The hypocrisy of that statement makes me feel guilty, but I suppress the twinge of conscience.

"Of course I know that."

"So you're sure there's nothing wrong?"

"Positive," he replies in a firmer, more commanding tone.

I don't believe him, but I decide to back down for now. I still want this to be pleasant, and if he doesn't want to talk about something I won't force him.

"Alright," I remove my hoof. "Just let me know if something comes up, ok?"

"Of course," he nods, and I sense guilt coming off him. He doesn't like lying to me any more than I do to him.

"Anyway," I go on, forcing my voice into a brighter tone. "We're here."

Shining looks around. "Interesting choice," he remarks. He looks me in the eye and his face perks up a bit. "You have something planned."

"You bet I do," I answer in a genuinely more cheerful voice. A quick spell conjures a soft red mat by the stream. I gesture at it. "Take a seat. We're a little behind schedule, but luckily for us I packed a bit of extra time in."

He smirks. "Behind schedule? On a date in the woods? Are you sure you aren't Twily in disguise?"

I giggle. "Pretty sure."

"Well, alright then," he says, sitting down on all fours on the mat.

I snuggle up beside him, wrapping wing around his midsection and putting my head against his neck.

"Now what?" he asks.

"Shhhh…" I put a hoof over his lips, then point to a gap in the tree cover running alongside the stream. The stars are clearly visible in the cloudless night sky. "Just watch and you'll see. Trust me."

"Alright."

We sit there in silence for some time. A minute ticks by. Two. Three. Now I'm starting to get worried. What if the charts I consulted were incorrect? What if the view from here is bad? What if Shining gets bored sitting around here? Come, hurry it up, world! Hurry it-

"There!" I can't resist the urge to give a little yelp and point when I finally see what I've been waiting for.

A dazzling emerald green streak of color lights up the night sky around where I've pointed. It grows, rapidly, flying across the black void of night to shine on all the ponies beneath it. It curves, twists, and flows like some vast river of liquid jewel in the sky. It continues to grow closer and closer until the streak soars directly above our head, painting the forest and all within it a vivid green. This beautiful display is the Crystal Empire's famous aurora, better known as the Northern Lights.

I nuzzle up to my husband, looking at his expression. He smiles and puts his head on mine, and I can sense that he's feeling happy. I smile widely as the feeling spreads to me.

Shining Armor and I sit alone together in the forest, watching the light show go by.


	9. Chapter 9

Cadence

Our little forest light show lasts for hours. How long precisely eludes me, but it doesn't matter. I can tell that Shining Armor is enjoying simply being out here in these peaceful woods to relax with me, and I with him. Not much is said between us, but then not much needs to be. Why spoil the moment with words?

But like with most good things, all too soon the aurora fades from the sky and Shiny and I are left sitting alone in a dark forest. It's not a problem for either of us, but without the natural spectacular above to distract us, the normal sounds of a woodland at night reassert themselves, and the magic is lost. It's time to go home, but I don't want to leave. I'm content right where I am: far away from all finery and politicking and responsibility, alone with somepony who loves me. So I just cuddle up, rest my head on his neck, and close my eyes. Time passes, but I don't know how long.

Shining – ever the dutiful stallion – is the one who gets up first, nudging me gently with his muzzle to prod me into action. Reluctantly, I remove myself from him before regaining my hooves. I remember where I asked our drivers to wait for us, so I take the lead again as we trudge back through the nighttime forest. I've enjoyed this little outing immensely, and I feel a bit melancholy to be heading home in what feels a blink of an eye.

Something of this must be showing on my face, because Shining gets a concerned look on his. He walks beside me and gently nuzzles the side of my neck and lower face, reaching as high as his own height will allow. I smile and wrap a wing around him to pull him close just as the trees part to expose the clearing we landed in and our waiting chariot.

* * *

By the time we hop back off of the royal chariot onto our balcony, I'm getting worried again. Even when we were trying to cuddle in the air, Shiny seemed somewhat distracted. He was continuously making small gestures on the ride back: running a hoof over the chariot's base, flicking his ears, even licking his gleaming crystal lips. I've known him long enough to recognize the signs of impatience in my husband. If he's like this even during a date with me, whatever the issue is must be important.

As soon as we've shut the balcony doors behind us, Shining gives me a kiss, his lips cold and hard against my pink coat.

"Cady?" he whispers gently.

"Yes?"

He sounds a little nervous, tugging at his collar gently. "I… have a little work I need to catch up on, and I was thinking I could get some of it done before hitting the hay."

"Must you?" I ask, throwing in a small yawn for effect. "It's getting late, and you need your rest as much as I do."

He nods slowly. "I think so, yeah. And don't worry, I'll be back pretty quickly. Just need a bit of time to finish."

"I'll miss having your hooves around me when I go to bed tonight," I respond, running a hoof up and down his foreleg. In truth, I'm not actually planning to sleep tonight, but he doesn't need to know that.

"I've… got to finish it tonight. Timetables and all. You understand, right?"

"What is this thing you've got to do anyway?" I prod.

"… Paperwork. For the guard. Approving expense reports, assigning new personnel, things like that."

Damn, Shining, you are an _awful_ liar.

I can sense he's feeling guilty as he continues. "You don't mind, do you?"

I hesitate for barely half a second before responding. "No. Go and do what you've got to do."

He grins. "I'll be back soon," he says, trotting towards the exit of our chambers. "Oh," he turns and winks. "And be sure to keep the bed warm for me."

I snicker slightly. "Of course."

His face suddenly becomes that of a drill sergeant. "Is that any way to answer a superior officer, private?"

I giggle and salute. "Sir, no sir!"

"Good!" he snaps. "You're learning, maggot! We'll make a soldier out of you yet!"

"Sir, yes sir!" I try my best at a stereotypical grunt's voice, but the effect is ruined by my soft giggling.

"Now, your assignment for tonight is to lie down on that piece of furniture and get a good, restful sleep." He points a hoof at our bed. "Is that clear, private?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good! Dismissed!" he says with a salute of his own, before sauntering out the door and shutting it behind him.

My smile drops as he leaves, replaced by a worried frown. What's going on? Shining never likes to go behind my back, and he likes lying to me even less. What could be so important that he thinks he can't tell me about it, but that keeps him occupied even during a date? I don't like my husband wandering off where I don't know where he is. I'm aware that this is hypocrisy, and that it might sound paranoid, or even possessive, but the last time this sort of thing happened he was brainwashed and seconds from killing himself.

My emotions go to war with each other. On one side, there's my respect for my husband as a grown (and very old) stallion, my desire not to violate his privacy, and the part of me that thinks that I'm just being a paranoid fool. I mean, Celestia wouldn't just up and… Nopony else would…

I swallow.

On the other hoof, it's my duty as a loyal spouse to protect my beloved, even from himself if necessary.

Is it spying?

It's my castle every bit as much as his. And so what if it is spying? I do plenty of that already. I pay a ring of ponies to bring me information on their masters without even feeling bad about it anymore.

But what if it makes me seem like a stalker?

Shiny needn't know, does he? Just a quick peek to be sure that all is well, and then back to bed to wait for him.

Is it right to keep secrets from him?

I do that already, don't I? And he's trying to do it to me, albeit ineptly.

Would this be an abuse of power and trust?

…

No. It's for his own good.

My mind made up, I cloak myself in a spell of concealment and follow him.

* * *

Shining Armor

As soon as I'm out of earshot of our rooms, I up my speed from a light trot to just barely below a full-on gallop. My conscience is burning me, and badly. I'm taking advantage of my wife's trust in me. She's doing everything she can to try and make my life more bearable out of the goodness of her heart, and here I am going behind her back in the dead of night like some filthy… _adulterer_.

I'm actually glad right now that I don't have a stomach, or I would be sick to it.

Still… all this is for her. I may be breaking my promise and sneaking around to do wicked things with a stolen body, but it's all for Cadence. No matter what, I can't leave her to suffer when I could be doing something about it. If it means some stains on my conscience and honor for her sake, then those will be my burdens to bear.

I hurry down flights of stairs, ignore the salutes and inquiries of surprised staff, race through crystalline corridors, and don't slow down until the room where my LSBFF works is in sight. I want this over and done with asap, so I pray to all the gods I can think of that we can work quickly, get a clue that I can use, and return this body to its resting place.

I open the door to find Twily standing over a skeleton laid flat over a table, eyes closed and horn aglow with a purple aura, which pulses through the room in waves. Her magic illuminates the otherwise pitch-black storage room, giving it a rather creepy purple-black color scheme.

Shutting the door carefully behind me, I whisper softly. "Twily?"

No response from my alicorn sister. Unsurprising – she's always been one for intense focus.

I raise my voice a bit. "Twilight?"

Still no answer.

I walk to her side, put a hoof on her shoulder, and shake her a little.

"GAAAAAHHH!" she screams at the top of her lungs, flailing her forelegs wildly and jerking her head around in a panic. When she lays eyes on me, Twily manages to stop, staring at me and breathing heavily. "Oh, Shiny," she says between gulps of air, with a faint and rising blush on her cheeks. "You startled me there."

"Studious as ever, I see." I give her a slightly teasing smirk.

She scratches the back of her head with a sheepish grin on her face. "Yeah, I guess so. Heh heh heh."

"How's it coming, sis? You find anything?"

Twilight frowns. "I think so, but it's not proving very cooperative."

"What do you mean?"

She looks a little unsure. "I'm… not entirely certain. The spell is woven deep into the earth pony magic of the body, and seems to be almost… actively resisting my attempts to pull it out to where I can properly get a look."

I know a bit about investigations of this sort myself, but to get addition confirmation I ask the question anyway. "Is that unusual?" I'm pretty sure I already know.

She nods. "Definitely so. Even in a spell freshly cast, most don't have the capacity to resist being dug out. One that's been attached to a rotting corpse for two decades? That's very impressive. Most ponies would have neither the knowledge nor power to cast such a thing."

"And that tells us something in and of itself," I immediately deduce.

Twilight nods again. "Right, it tells us that somepony with a lot of power and skill didn't want anypony else getting a good look at this magic. You were definitely right; Lady Rose Quartz had to have had-"

My sister is interrupted by a shout from near the door.

"WHAT?!"

* * *

Cadence

Half of my mind is screaming at me the whole way down as I follow in my frantic husband's trail. I'm a snoop, an untrusting paranoiac, a stalker, an… an _abuser_! Am I an abuser? I don't know. I don't want to be, but what else is trying to observe and maybe control your spouse's private movements but the act of some manipulative, possessive, emotionally abusive control freak?

I don't want to be an abuser. I want our relationship to be healthy. But even more, I want Shiny to be safe and healthy. So I shut down the part of me that's overflowing with regret and self-loathing, and continue to walk quietly, invisibly, after Shining Armor.

At last, my husband comes to a door that should lead to… I think it was some closet or something. I'm not completely sure – it's not like the princess gets much time to explore the more mundane spaces of her castle, and we've remodeled more than once. He opens it, and I catch a glimpse of purple light spilling out.

My heart almost stops. Somepony's casting a spell in there. And Shining is going in. My thoughts immediately jump to that night in the garden twenty years ago, and the weeks leading up to our wedding before that. Is somepony casting a spell on my Shiny? Is that what's going on? My mind dredges up memories of seeing my poor husband standing beside Queen Chrysalis, being brainwashed into believing her to be me. Yes, my rational mind reminds me that Chrysalis is confirmed dead, perished from the immense fall (I don't regret that any more than I do killing Sombra), and the changelings are supposed to be extinct, but… I can't help it.

I have to know that my Shining is safe. With a silent spell, I vanish from the spot and reappear on the other side of the doorway, now shut again. I release a breath I didn't realize that I was holding when I see the room's other occupant. Twilight. Twilight Sparkle is here. Why didn't anypony tell me? I would have loved to see her again, and we could have done all sorts of fun things together and-

My eyes wander to the table in front of my sister-in-law. My heart skips a beat. There's a skeleton laid out on a fine oak table, illuminated an eerie purple by Twilight's magic. Whose is it? Oh gods… please don't tell me that is what I think it is.

I watch my husband rouse his sister from her concentration, resisting the urge to giggle at her jumpiness. I listen carefully as they talk about what's going on, and more and more my guess seems to be getting confirmed. Gods, please… don't be who I think this is… Shiny… please… please… tell me you've left well enough alone… please…

In spite of everything, I'm still shocked when I hear my sister-in-law name the remains on the table.

"WHAT?!" I scream at the top of my lungs.

Immediately, the siblings Sparkle turn their heads to stare at where I stand with shocked expressions on their faces. I don't even bother trying to hide anymore, releasing my cloaking spell as raw panic consumes me. Twilight's eyes could be mistaken for dinner plates, while Shining's jaw hangs limp.

"…Cady?" he eventually manages, expressions of fear and guilt warring for control of that handsome face of his.

I'm not listening. My mind is going through a meltdown from the sheer terror I'm feeling right at this very moment. Oh gods… if Shining and Twilight continue this… and they find out what happened… and who was responsible…

It would be even worse than I feared. I'll lose the two ponies that matter more to me than anything else in the world. The sweet little filly I foalsat and watch grow into a wonderful and accomplished mare along with the stallion I love like no other. Celestia would kill them both, I know it. If she was willing to kill Shining to prevent a theoretical future danger… then why would she hold back against both of them if they presented a clear and present one?

I don't know what to do. My mind is drawing a complete blank. Then, without warning, an idea pops into my head, and I seize on it like a drowning pony clinging to driftwood. I don't take time to evaluate, to consider. I just do what seems like the only way to protect these two stupid, stubborn ponies.

My horn lights up, and before either of them can so much as make a move, blue magic bursts out and lances into the skeletal figure. In an instant, bones become so much dust and ash scattered about the room. The table beneath it explodes, showering the room with splinters that bounce off alicorn hide and rock-hard crystal.

My two favorite siblings in the whole wide world stare at me in slack-jawed stupefaction, neither seemingly able to come up with anything at all to say.

I breathe heavily while my initial panic resides, giving way to apocalyptic levels of anger. At Twilight Sparkle in part, but mostly at Shining Armor. How _dare_ he endanger himself like this?! Doesn't he know how much his life means to me?! How _dare_ he violate his promise to me?! How could he rope his own little sister into helping him betray me? Why is my stupid… pigheaded… stubborn... _mule_ of a husband doing this to me?!

My feathers start to ruffle in my wings, while my legs quiver and my tail twitches. "How long?" I demand, through gritted teeth, my breathing speeding up again.

"Cadence?" Shining Armor looks confused and worried. Is he really that bucking dense?!

"How long have you been doing this?" I snarl out, advancing a few steps towards my husband. "How long have you been violating your promise to me?"

"I… I…" Shining Armor's ears fold back, and he puts a single hoof backwards.

"How long?" I repeat, not giving him a chance to come up with another lie.

He hangs his head. "T-the whole… the w-whole time."

He's been putting himself in danger… going behind my back… for _twenty years?!_

I don't think I've ever felt the temptation to hurt Shining before, but I suppose that there's a first time for everything.

I take a few more steps forward. I'm almost on top of my husband now. "You blind. Bloody. _Fool!"_ I shriek at him. "Did you ever consider that there was a _reason_ I asked you to stop?! Did you ever wonder if I knew what I was doing?! Did you ever wonder if I was trying to _protect_ you?!"

"Protect me?" he looks up, meeting my gaze but not wilting under it as most ponies would. He still looks guilty, but now puzzled as well. "Protect me from what?"

"I…" I trail off, the memories of what became of Rose Quartz when she betrayed her vow flashing through my mind. A drooling, incoherent vegetable that knew little and didn't even resist her own execution. My overstressed mind can't come up with a plausible explanation, so I resort to the truth. "I can't say."

He frowns. "Can't, or won't?"

I hesitate, fearful of what could happen but unable to see an immediate way out. "… None of your business!" I finally manage.

His frown deepens. "You're my wife! Of course it's my business!" His expression softens, and he walks directly up to me to lay a gentle hoof on my shoulder. "Cadence, you know what's going on, don't you?"

I don't say anything.

"Tell me, please," he continues. "I want to help. I want to make you feel better. Just tell me what's going on, and we'll face it together."

I just melt under those honest, caring eyes of his. Even in crystal instead of flesh, they've lost none of that strangely innocent charm he had in life. At the moment, I want nothing more than to break down and confess everything to him. But I can't do that. All I can do is cry a moment, while Shining hugs me tight.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," I squeak when I find my voice again. "But n-no. I won't d-do it."

"Why?" Shining asks. "Why won't you trust me?"

"I do t-trust you," I reply. "More than a-anypony else."

"Which is why you followed me, right?" he says, his tone slightly hurt.

That stings. Dear gods, that stings. My conscience was already killing me over that, but to hear it from his lips…

"N-no," I answer. "I followed you because I want to protect you, Shiny. The last time you wandered off… I came so close to losing you… I was so scared."

His expression softens, and he hugs me again.

"Shining," I manage, once we've released each other. "Please, please, please, drop this. I beg of you. If you love me, please don't torture me by endangering yourself so."

"But _what's_ so dangerous?" he looks a little frustrated now. "Cadence, you're hurting. I can't just let you stay this way forever. Please, tell me what's the matter, so I can protect you."

"I won't do it," I declare in a tone of finality. "I won't permit you to risk yourself like this! Not for me!"

"Permit me?" his eyes narrow. "Since when do I need others' approval to do my job? Are you my wife or are you my mother?"

Some part of me knows that I've hurt his pride now, and that that's a very touchy subject for him. The rest of me is fed up with this bull-headed fool of a love-struck stallion.

"I am your princess and supreme ruler of the Crystal Empire." I draw myself up to my full height, towering above my husband. "And as such I _order_ you to stop this foolishness at once!"

"As your prince and your husband," Shining also stands tall and proud, looking me directly in the eyes without flinching. "I refuse to carry out that order. I will not allow you to hurt when I can do something about it."

"Guys…" Twilight tries feebly to interject, only to be stared back into meek silence by both Shining and I.

"You _can't_!" I half-scream at him. "Don't you get it, you thick-headed numbskull? You can't help me here!"

He grits his teeth. "I am Royal Guard, and I will protect my princess until the day I die."

I want to slap this idiot. "I don't _need_ protection, you twit! _You_ are the one who needs to be protected!"

"And why is that?" he demands, so utterly blind and oblivious.

My temper breaks. "Because I am a _goddess _and you're just a fragile little _**mortal!**_" I scream directly into his face.

Shining's angry face vanishes in an instant, replaced with naked shock. Then he… deflates would be the best world for it. His ears droop, his eyes halfway shut, and he hangs his head before me in a posture of meek submission. What I just said finally penetrates my thick skull, and I clamp both hooves over my mouth in horror.

Oh gods… what have I done?

"Shining," I finally manage after a long silence, tears in my eyes. "I-I'm sorry… I'm s-so sorry… Please…" I reach with a hoof to put it on his shoulder. "I d-didn't m-mean it… Please… I-"

He bats the hoof off of himself with a gentle nudge of his own foreleg.

"No," he says, his voice low and soft. "You were right, Cadence. You two," he gestures at his sister and I. "Are goddesses walking the earth. And I?" He hangs his head even lower. "I'm nothing. A failure. A disgrace. Only meaningful at all because Cadence chooses to make me."

I can only stare in naked horror at the damage I've done with just a few words.

Twilight tries to wrap her brother in an embrace, but he shrugs it off.

"Please," he says. "Twily, Cady. Please… just leave me alone for a little while. I need some time… to myself. I promise I won't… won't…" he looks up, and I can tell there would be tears in his eyes, had he the ability to make them. "Won't hurt myself… I'll still be here, for both of you."

"Shiny…" Twilight is openly crying now, tears dripping down her lavender cheeks.

"Please, your highness," he repeats, looking meekly up at me. "May I be permitted some time alone?"

I can't find any words, so I just nod through blurry eyes and step out of his way.

Shining Armor slowly exits the door and leaves the ruined storage room behind. A few seconds later, the room's other alicorn makes her own way out, stopping just before the exit to look back at me with teary eyes for a few seconds, and then she too is gone. I'm alone.

I can only stare dumbly after them.

* * *

"RAAARGH!" I smash a table full of carefully-brewed potions to splinters and glass and spilled multicolored liquid with one blow of my hoof. I don't care, picking up the debris with magic and throwing them into a nearby bookshelf. It topples, destroying dozens of valuable books and months of research notes.

"Useless junk!" I scream as I rampage through my own laboratory. "All of it! Useless! Worthless! _JUNK!_"

I lift a dozen different tables covered in everything from chemistry sets to cell samples to alchemy textbooks from the Lost Continent. At my unspoken command, they're crushed to so much compressed rubble, as if by the claw of an invisible dragon. It's still not enough. I toss the rubble indiscriminately, destroying tens of thousands of bits worth of equipment and books without giving the slightest of bucks.

This equipment failed me. This equipment failed _Shining_. And now, coupled with my insensitive stupidity, it may well have broken the stallion beyond anypony's power to repair. It deserves to be punished. I deserve to be punished. But there's nopony to punish me, besides my own conscience. To the thing's credit, it's doing an awfully good job of that.

I flop backwards onto the ruins of a bookshelf, my alicorn body easily ignoring the sharp splinters of wood that fruitlessly try to pierce my skin. I wish they would, though. I wish somepony would come down here and make me suffer for what I've done. But nopony does, and I'm left to cry my heart out on top of ruined furniture.

Time passes. I'm not sure how much, and I don't care. I've ruined everything, perhaps destroyed the pony who I want to be with eternally more than other. What do a few hours matter in comparison to that?

I can't see much through the tears that pour endlessly from my eyes. Not that there's much to see – just a half-wrecked laboratory in an underground cave. And… I think I may see some grey smoke. Did I set something on fire in here? I don't remember doing that.

Then, finally, sounds beyond those made by my sobs echo through the cavern. A voice. A familiar voice.

"Hello again."


	10. Chapter 10

Shining Armor

At first, I trudge around the palace rather aimlessly, not sure of where to go. Our room is of course an option, but that's where Cadence might go. I'm not ready to face her again right now.

I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed that I'm such an unworthy husband for Cadence. Rose Quartz may have been trying to kill me, but she was right when she said that I wasn't good enough for the alicorn of love. How could I be? She's an ageless beauty with tremendous power and matchless grace. I'm a dead stallion living a hollow mockery of life. Protecting others is my special talent and my life, but how can I protect somepony who's greater than me in every way that counts? How could I presume so much as to think I could shield her against something potent enough to make her sweat? I would be brushed aside like dirt. Again.

I'm ashamed that I've been hogging the Crystal Empire's princess to myself. She's a tremendous gift to anypony around her, and all those in the empire love her. She spreads happiness wherever she goes. And yet, she has to stoop low to take care of obsolete, worthless me because she's too kind and loving to ever let me rot and find somepony better able to make her safe and happy. I should never have proposed marriage. Everypony would have been better off if I had been her servant instead of spouse.

Odd as it may seem, I'm also ashamed of being ashamed. Some part of me knows that I'm just indulging in a pointless, whiny self-pity session. A lot of stallions would thank their lucky stars to trade places with me for one day, and here I am letting myself get broken by hooful of words. Even if I am not up to protecting Cadence as she deserves, she should get my best at all times, and this is certainly not me at my best. I'm sure that my bitching is hurting her, which only makes me feel worse about myself.

Eventually, I find that my hooves are taking me back up the castle floors, towards our chambers. I have no idea why, but frankly I do not give a buck at the moment. I let my unconscious self lead me, and soon enough I'm out on the enormous moonlit balcony outside our chamber. I'm sitting on a couch under the gazebo, though I don't remember getting on it. I stare out at moon and stars and the Imperial City below, just thinking. The temptation to just throw myself off the edge and end it all is strong… but no, I promised I wouldn't hurt myself. That promise, at least, I can keep.

I'm not sure how much time passes, but eventually there comes the sound of a voice from near the doorway.

"Shiny?" it says in a soft, almost mousy tone.

I turn my head to look at my visitor. It's Twily – no, Princess Twilight Sparkle. She and her kind deserve better than childish nicknames.

"Princess Sparkle," I bow my head to the living goddess stepping out onto the balcony.

She blinks and her mouth opens slightly. Then it closes, and her eyes look moist. "S-Shiny, what are you doing? It's me, Twily. Your little sister best friend forever, remember? You don't have to bow to me."

"You deserve it, your highness," I keep my head low. "You're a hero of Equestria, several-time savior of the nation, pioneer of magic, and an all-around wonderful mare. You deserve to be royalty. You deserve immortality. Me?" I point a hoof at myself. "All I ever accomplished was marrying far above my station. I'm nothing."

"Shining Armor, look at me," my sister's voice now seems more commanding. I meet her eyes, and they're firm despite the small trickle of tears coming from them. "You are _not_ nothing, you hear me?"

I snort derisively. "I couldn't stop Nightmare Moon, couldn't do anything against Discord, couldn't even tell that my own bride had been kidnapped and replaced, fought Sombra and lost, and fought Tirek and lost. You, your friends, and Cadence had to bail me out of every one of those situations. How can I claim to be a prince, a husband, or even a stallion when I'm too fragile, too weak, too… _mortal_ to protect anypony from anything?"

"I didn't do any of that alone. I had my friends. I had the princesses." My little sister takes a few more steps forward and puts a long lavender wing over my shoulders. "And I had my first friend and the brave colt I always admired: my big brother."

"You shouldn't admire me," I answer her. "I'm a failure. Too weak to do anything useful, too stupid to accomplish the most basic of royal tasks, too worthless to cause anything but pain to the ponies I love." I hang my head again.

"Shiny, look at me. Please."

"Yes, your ma-"

She cuts me off with a hoof over my mouth. "And none of that servile nonsense. You're my big brother and I'm your little sister, and nothing will ever change that. To you, I'm "Twily" or "Twilight", not "Princess" or "your majesty". You got that?"

I nod, and she removes her hoof from my face.

"Good," she sighs, taking a moment to gather herself and wiping away some of the tears staining her face with her other wing. "Now, you are not weak, you are not stupid, and you are _not_ worthless! You're loved, Shiny. Cadence and I, Celestia and Luna… we all love you. You're family. Where in the world did you get such utter horseapples in your head from?"

I'm a little surprised at my bookish sister's use of profanity, but I resist the brotherly urge to give her a cheeky scolding. I have no right to do that to a goddess.

Instead, I answer her question. "Observation. You're strong, I'm weak. You saved the world, I got crushed. You're ageless, I'm an insignificant mayfly in a false body."

Princess Twilight's gaze hardens. "So, you think that because alicorns have more magic than you, are stronger than you, you're worthless to us?"

"Yes," I respond, hanging my head again.

"You know who else thought that power was everything and friendship meant nothing? Lord Tirek."

I start to protest the comparison. "I'm not-"

The alicorn princess cuts me off again. "You know who else thought that the strength of love between two ponies was a "ridiculous sentiment"? Queen Chrysalis."

This is absurd. "But-"

"Do you think your wife has terrible judgment?"

I shake my head vigorously. "Of course not! But what does that have to do with-"

"So if Cadence has good judgment, of all the countless thousands of stallions she could have had, why do you think she picked you?"

"I… don't know," I admit.

"I had a husband once, if you recall. Flash Sentry, a pegasus. As an alicorn, I had an earth pony's strength, while he didn't. In the air, I could outfly him any day of the week. Heck, he didn't even have a horn - couldn't do the smallest piece of magic. By your logic, do you think he was worthless to me?"

"No way! Anypony could see that you two cared for each other!"

"So why would you think that being weaker than Cadence makes you worthless to her?"

"It… does!" I declare, feelings of shame warring with Twilight's words.

My sister just shakes her head and smiles sadly, wrapping my unresisting form in a hug.

* * *

Cadence

"Hello again."

Those words echo throughout the cave. The voice that made them is strong. Deep. Masculine. And far more familiar than I would like.

I look up from where I lay sobbing, tear-blurred eyes searching the room around me for the pony I despise and yet feel indebted to. I locate him without difficulty. Before me once again stands the misty, grey form of King Sombra. He's wearing the form of the handsome stallion rather than that of the warped tyrant, but he elicits a shudder from me all the same. I remember well what this pony did to the poor crystal ponies.

"Y-You," I manage, after a few seconds of staring.

"Me," he says, flatly.

I wipe the tears from my eyes with my soft wings. I can't look weak in front of a spirit like this. No telling what he might try.

"I suppose I should thank you," I say, after a few calming breaths.

"Thank me?" he says, cocking his head slightly.

I nod. "For telling me about Shining. All those years ago. If you hadn't…" I trail off, fighting back against a fresh welling up of tears at the horrible thought of having been too late, of finding naught but my dead beloved. I sniff and wipe my eyes again.

There's a period of awkward silence, as Sombra walks slowly throughout my ruined laboratory, passing through solid objects as only a spirit can. I watch him carefully, trying to judge his reactions. His face is flat, and remains that way as he walks past smashed furniture, torn books, chemical spills, and even half-formed pegasus organs.

It is only when he come within sight of the case containing the alicorn skeleton that he shows any sign of emotion. His eyes go wide, and then he hangs his head. He whispers to himself, probably thinking I can't hear.

"Elysie… It has been so long… and I regret so much…"

"Elysie?" I ask, my curiosity overcoming the extremely limited respect I have for his privacy. "Did you know her?"

He actually starts slightly when I speak up, but quickly gathers composure. "Yes, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I knew Princess Elysium rather well. Intimately, you might even say."

My jaw drops when I process what he just claimed. "You…" I look at the remains of my murdered predecessor. "And she…" I shake my head. "I don't believe you. You're lying."

"Am I? Why would I do that, in your line of reasoning?"

"To try and make me sympathize with you! I'm the alicorn of love, so you're trying to make yourself seem like less of a monster by saying that you were once lovers with an alicorn princess and thereby implicitly comparing yourself to Shining Armor!" I declare, feeling proud to have seen through the ghost's trick.

He raises a smoky eyebrow. "Indeed?" Sombra sighs and walks back towards me. "I do not expect you to believe that I am anything but a villain, your highness. You have read more than enough of my works to know the truth of that."

"I have," I confirm. "You murdered prisoners for experiments. You drank the blood of foals."

He nods. "I did."

"You murdered Princess Elysium, the very pony you claimed to have been intimate with, in cold blood to steal her power and throne!" I point accusingly at him.

"Guilty as charged, princess," he says with bowed head and a look of remorse on his face.

"So why on earth would I believe anything you say now?"

"Why did you believe me twenty years ago?"

I freeze. All is silence for some moments, until I work up an answer. "For Shining," I eventually manage.

The spirit nods. "So," he continues, slowly, "you require aid. What is it you seek?"

"Help? From you?!" I blink. "I don't want _your_ help! I want your foul spirit exorcised from the Crystal Empire for good!"

"Then why did you not do so? You have had many years to learn a spell to banish the dead, or to find somepony capable of doing so for you. You might have called on the power of your Crystal Heart against me as you did once before. Yet you have done nothing of the sort."

"I… I…" I stutter. Why didn't I? I surely could have found some way to expel him from the empire forever if I had given the task my all, but I haven't. Why not? I surely can't have… can't have _wanted_ him to remain here.

Can I?

Nopony speaks for several minutes. I sob softly as the truth of the matter slowly dawns on me. I'm truly the worst pony alive, I think.

"I d-didn't," I at last confess, "b-because of S-Shining. Celestia… would have k-killed him… if n-not for y-you… and… a-and…" I stop to cry at the true depths of my hideous selfishness. How could I be so negligent a ruler? How?!

Sombra nods at me. It stings my conscience, badly.

"Well then," the ghost speaks up. "Now that you have admitted to yourself what it is that you have done, perhaps you might tell me what it is you need?"

"It's… It's…" I still can't manage anything between my terror for Shining and the crushing weight of guilt on me.

"It is your husband."

I nod. "I h-hurt him… and C-Celestia… Celestia will k-kill him… if I d-don't deliver…" I sniff and sob again. "And I don't know! Don't know what to do! I've tried everything I can think of, but nothing works! I can't live… I can't live without him!" I weep still more, shame at my pathetic weakness adding to my general feelings of despair. "Please!" I beg the ghost. "Please! You wrote…" I gesture towards ruined binders full of the slain tyrant's notes. "All this! You must know something! You have to tell me! Please!"

Sombra looks… uneasy? He hesitates before answering. "There is… I am not certain if…"

"Tell me!" I shout at the spirit.

"I do not know…"

"**TELL ME!**" I roar in the Royal Canterlot Voice, the sheer volume rattling the cavern and shaking a shower of dust and pebbles from the ceiling.

"As you wish, princess," he sighs wearily, with a slight bow. "There is a way, by which those who are dead can live again."

"What is it?! Tell me!" I implore the king's ghost.

"If I am to give you this…" he pauses, and there's a flicker of… _something_ in his emerald eyes. "This time, I wish for something in return. Nothing too extreme," he adds quickly, shaking his ethereal head to try to dispel the notion. "Not your kingdom, or your soul, or…" Sombra gives a knowing look. "Your firstborn."

My chest tightens at that. Even if I have Shiny back… I've already sold my own future children to a monster just to preserve him. What could this dead stallion want of me that I wouldn't willingly part with to be a proper husband and wife again?

"A small personal favor, really," he goes on.

I narrow my eyes. I don't believe him… but I need what he knows.

"Name your price."

Sombra smiles.

* * *

AN: I would really appreciate some feedback. Tell me how I'm doing, please.


	11. Chapter 11

Shining Armor

The rest of the night passes all too quickly to me. Princes Twilight and- no, _Twily_ and I spend several hours out alone on the balcony. It's rather embarrassing to have to be bailed out by my little sister again, but I'll admit that it also feels nice to be reassured of my value to the ponies I love. We don't talk too much, but that's fine – she's said all that needs to be said, and her presence reminds me of the truth of the matter: I'm Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, and even my alicorn family needs me.

Eventually, Twily and I start to play rather foalish games. I know, I know, it's not exactly politic to have a pillow fight with your sibling on the upper balcony of the Imperial Palace. There's no doubt that at least some patrolling pegasi can see us. But, buck it, I don't care. Tackling Twily to the ground and exploiting my knowledge of her sensitive spots to tickle her silly seems even less appropriate, but the reaction from her… the sheer guile-less, innocent, foal-like adoration shining in her eyes… that makes me feel really good.

Like with most things, our time together comes to an end all too soon. One minute I've engaged my LSBFF in a rousing round of couch fort, the next a letter magically appears over her head. It bears the seal of Princess Celestia, so unsurprisingly Twilight doesn't waste any time opening it up and reading through the message. By the end, she looks both nervous and sad. I recognize my sister's "bad news" expression, and urge her to go ahead.

I don't remember the exact details, but she tells me that apparently Celestia needs her. Something to do with the negotiations the solar princess is presiding over. She looks reluctant, but I remind her that Celestia wouldn't call her so abruptly if it weren't vital, so she should go to her old mentor. It's pretty clear that Twily doesn't want to leave Cadence and I, so I tell her that if lives are at stake and that it's too important to waste her time here. It takes a little bit of brotherly charm, but I convince her that I can handle myself and my wife for a bit longer. When you've lived as long as I have, you learn a bit of patience.

In the end, my LSBFF promises to return as soon as she can, and to keep helping me, even if we have to start from scratch. I wind up lending her one of our chariots – I'm sure Cadence won't mind – and bidding her a fond farewell. With any luck, she'll be back soon.

The balcony is thoroughly messed up by now, and the air is cold, but I can't think of a better place to lay my head for whatever remains of the night. Cadence… you have the bed for tonight. We can talk in the morning.

But, when morning comes, and Celestia's fiery orb again graces our skies, I'm awoken from my impromptu sleeping position not by my beautiful alicorn wife, but by a frantic-looking pegasus in the uniform of the Crystal Guard. Private Steady Hoof his name is, if I recall correctly.

"Oh, thank the gods you're alright, sir," Steady says as I stir from the sofa. "We weren't sure, what with…" he trails off, still looking anxious.

"What with what?" I ask almost immediately, the transition from sleep to wakefulness made easier by lack of biological inertia. "What's the matter?"

"It's Princess Cadence, sir," he answers. "She's…"

I'm on my hooves in a split second. "She's what?!" I demand, perhaps more roughly than I should, grabbing my unfortunate subordinate by the neck and shaking him. "What's going on?!"

My mind is already counting dozens of nightmare scenarios. Has she been kidnapped? Has she been hurt? Did somepony attack her? Was it an internal foe? The blackmailer, maybe? The work of some other nation? Is she in the hospital? Gods… is she dead?! What the buck has happened to my wife?!

The private looks like he wishes for all the world that he knew how to teleport right now. In a shaky voice, he replies, "S-She's m-m-missing… my p-p-prince… can't f-find her… a-anywhere…"

"WHAT?!" I let him go, reeling in shock. How could this have happened?! Here, in one of the safest places in one of the safest nations on the planet…

No. No. NO! Not again! Please, please let this have been my insensitivity and ingratitude that drove her to hide! For the love of all the gods, don't let her have been abducted again! Or hurt… or… or….

My discipline reasserts itself. "Assemble our officers," I harshly command him. "All of them. _Now_."

Private Steady Hoof nods with an undue amount of eagerness. With a salute, he hurries off to do my will.

Cadence… Please, be alright.

* * *

Eighteen hours. For eighteen long, panic-stricken hours, my wife is nowhere to be found. I mobilize the entirety of the Crystal Guard, order a near-total lockdown of the Imperial City, and alert every border guard we have to be on high alert and inspect all outgoing shipping, but nothing seems to help.

I don't want to cause a mass panic or a riot, so I give instructions not to go public about what's happened. Still, it isn't exactly hard to guess something resembling the truth. The princess doesn't show up to her court or to the meeting of the Grand Council, the prince is either running about or locked in his office, and the guard goes into a frenzy of activity and starts inspecting anypony deemed even vaguely suspicious? Yeah, not exactly hard to speculate what might have happened. Naturally, rumors start flying like a parasprite swarm. It's disappointing but not exactly surprising to learn that some of them feature me as the power-hungry perpetrator of Cadence's disappearance. Insults can be dealt with in time.

As the hours tick by, more and more possibilities occur to me, each more horrible than the last. Is she being tortured? Is she imprisoned somewhere? Has she been banished to a celestial body? Will there be another creepy bug queen imposter coming soon to take over her role? I don't know, and for once I'm thankful that I don't have a organs, because otherwise I think I might have given myself a heart attack. Cadence is one of the only things I have left. If I lost her… I don't think I could take it.

I'm presently pacing rather franticly up and down my office floor with nopony but two guards for company, waiting for anything new to work with and debating what to do next. I don't want to set off an international pony-hunt for nothing if this turns out to have been merely the result of my idiotic refusal to accept her apology last night. But still, the light of day has come and gone, and my wife, who never does things like this, is still nowhere in sight. I wonder if I should be contacting the other three princesses. Maybe they would know something. But… that would mean admitting failure. Confessing that I can achieve nothing without the aid of the alicorns. _Again_.

Not yet, I decide. Not yet.

If this takes too much longer I may have no choice. More anxiety fills me. Am I being stupid? Should I call my alicorn relations now, before anything else happens? Should I have done so hours ago? I don't know… Aaaargh…

I pull on my own mane, more for habit than any feeling. Focus Shining, focus. This is no time for running around in circles like some headless chicken. I just need to-

"SHINY!"

I think you can imagine my surprise when there's a brilliant flash of blue and Cadence, the object of so much worry, appears in front of me. She's filthy, covered in dust and soot and wearing dozens of multicolored stains on her rosy coat. Even her flowing main and tail aren't free of the grime and grit coating her. But in spite of that, she's wearing one of the biggest grins I've ever seen across her muzzle, and her eyes are sparkling.

I take a step back, my mouth hanging open limply. I don't know what to say, which doesn't matter anyway because words won't come out. Dammit Shining Armor, can't you keep yourself together for ten seconds in front of your wife? It's just like when we started dating, I never could manage a whole trip without doing something stupid or awkward or-

One of my guards recovers before I do. Great, upstaged again, this time by a random grunt. "Princess?" he asks, hesitatingly at first, but he quickly grows a bit bolder, rushing to her side. "Your majesty? Are you alright? What's happened?"

She doesn't even bother to look at him. "Yes yes, I'm quite fine," she says with a wave of her hoof. "You can stop doing whatever it is you were doing to look for me. Now, please give us some private time."

The two stallions look confusedly at each other. "Your highness, you've had everypony on high alert looking for you. Are you hurt? Is there anything- Whoa!"

Again, the alicorn won't so much as glance at him. "Don't care. Perfectly alright. Alone time. Now." And with that my two guards are lifted off their hooves and unceremoniously tossed out the door, which seals itself shut behind them.

"Cadence," I finally manage. Took me bloody long enough. "What's going on h-"

I too am picked up in her aura in mid-sentence, but instead of tossing me out she yanks me right into an enormous hug. She locks her lips over mine, then showers my face with kisses and twirls us in circles like a ballet dancer.

"Cady, what- mmph!" I try again, only to be silenced by yet another lip lock.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!" she's laughing in slightly maniacal manner that I confess to finding unnerving.

While she continues to twirl our intertwining forms about, I cast a small spell. It's a little something Twily and I came up with after the wedding disaster: a magic that reaches past the outer shell of being to look into its genetic code and identify it. A modification of a spell we already used in the guard way back then to identify murder victims, this one is just meant to tell the species of an individual. Cadence was replaced once before, and just in case…

The spell rings out in my head. _Alicorn_, it tells me.

So this is my actual wife, then. That's a relief.

"Cadence, I really need to-"

Aaaaand she shuts me up again with another kiss.

Ok, this is getting a little out of hoof. I like being kissed, and I like being loved, but I don't like being carried about like some foal. And I definitely do not like working myself into a panic because I thought my wife had been hurt. I never enjoy going against her, but we need to talk, now.

I disappear from her hooves in a burst of pink, and then reappear a few feet away with a stern expression on my face. Cadence adjusts to face me again. I hold up a hoof in a manner reminiscent of a school teacher before she can yank me back into her wild dance.

"Cadence," I state, calmly but firmly. "We need to talk."

"I…" the enormous smile on her faces fades slightly, and she breathes in and out a few times. "You're right. I'm sorry, I was just… mmmm… so _excited_!" She actually dances on the spot at that, and for a moment I fear she'll grab me again, but the moment passes and she regains her control of herself.

"About what?!" I really hate to do this. It kills me to be harsh with a pony I love, but sometimes love requires a bit of toughness. So I stallion up and get to it. "Cadence, you just up and vanished! Do you have any idea how worried we all were?! Thousands of ponies were searching the Crystal Empire high and low for you! We had no idea what had happened, where you were, or whether you were even still alive!" I rant at my wife, whose beautiful smile is almost entirely gone. "You're an alicorn princess! You have responsibilities! You can't just up and disappear without notice like that! Your ponies need you too much!"

Cadence hangs her head and meekly accepts my scolding. It makes me feel like I'm kicking a puppy. Did I go too far? Was I too harsh? Will she leave me?! Oh gods please don't let me drive her away!

"I'm sorry…" she says, head low and eyes to the floor. "I didn't mean to worry anypony, I just… I just…" Suddenly, she explodes into motion again, grabbing me and holding me close. She nuzzles me, and then looks into my eyes with tears in hers and a smile on her face. "I've finally done it, Shining! I'm finally finished! Ha ha!" The alicorn kisses me again. "I love you so much." She hugs me tight yet again.

I, now very puzzled, opt to hug her back. At least I haven't driven her away.

After a moment, my brain churns out a response. "You've done what, Cadence? What's this all about?"

I genuinely have no idea why my wife is acting so oddly, but I'm sure she'll be happy to explain it to me.

Her eyes get even brighter, to the point where I could swear they're actually glowing, and she smiles again. "Why tell you… when I can _show_ you?" Her horn begins to light up.

I pull back slightly. "Cadence, you're starting to scare me. What's going-"

And then we vanish.


	12. Chapter 12

Shining Armor

We reappear within a dark, enclosed space. There's almost no light wherever we are, beyond the faint, flickering glow of a hooful of torch crystals that look as though they've neglected for a long time, or damaged somehow. But one benefit of my condition is that lack of light is little barrier to my vision, and I take a good look at our surroundings.

I realize almost immediately that Cadence and I are in a cavern of some kind. The cave has a high, rocky ceiling, and a wide expanse of open space between the walls – larger than most houses I've ever seen. But what really catches the eye is the scattering of debris throughout the place. I'll be honest: it looks as though a hurricane has been through here, and recently too, judging by the lack of evident dust or decay. There are bits and pieces of furniture scattered hither and yon without apparent order or purpose. A table leg here, part of a bookshelf there, a liberal sprinkling of broken glass, odd-looking stains, crystal fragments, torn pieces of paper… this place is a wreck.

My wife has, by this point, released me from her grip, and is looking at me with an enormous grin of giddy anticipation. I do my best to ask the question without saying anything. Namely, "what the hell is this and why are we here?"

Cadence seems to read me well enough. "This place is a laboratory. My laboratory."

I look around again. This ruin is where Cadence has been? "It looks…" How does one tell one's mare that's she looking crazier by the second?

"Oh, the mess," she waves a hoof dismissively. "Don't worry about it. I did that. Sorry that I didn't clean up, but I was just so eager to get on with it."

My sweet, gentle-hearted wife rampaged through this place like a force of nature? What got her so angry? Has her stress taken more of a toll than I thought? Does this place have anything to do with it?

"Get on with what?" I ask again, focusing my attentions back on the rosy alicorn princess behind me. "Cadence, will you please just tell me what is going on here?"

She smiles and giggles. "Like I said, why tell you when I can show you? Just follow me and get ready for a big surprise!" She walks past me, teasingly stroking my back with one of her grime-covered wings as she does. "This way!" she beckons cheerfully.

I admit I'm a little wary, but my spell confirmed that this is indeed Cady, and I trust my wife. Even if she has been acting a bit strangely. For her to be so pepped up, something good must have happened down here, and I'm guessing that it involves me somehow. Maybe she's found a way to let me feel again…

No, bad Shining Armor! Quite reminiscing about things you won't have again and setting yourself up for disappointment.

Cadence steps cheerfully through the debris, humming a little tune and seemingly not at all worried about getting hurt by the broken glass or the like. Now that I look, I observe that her shoes and most of her other regalia are missing. But, as I've learned to expect, ordinary sharp objects stand no more chance of piercing her alicorn hide than they do of cutting my crystalline hooves. She crushes debris under her hooves without comment or seeming care in world, leading towards the rear of the cavern. We pass by numerous wrecked pieces of furniture and what look to be alchemy equipment, though I note a curiously intact, but empty, glass display case.

At last, she points to a piece of furniture near the corner. A long table of what looks like redwood, it is one of the only things left reasonably intact in this place. Atop it is a long grey blanket, covering something lumpy… and irregular…

I feel as though I've seen similar things before, in the guard. Is that… please, gods, tell me that my wife hasn't gone insane and killed somepony. Tell me that I'm not looking at a body. I don't know what I would do, who I would side with, and that lack of knowledge scares me.

"Well, go on," Cadence says, looking positively jittery on her hooves with barely-constrained excitement. "Take a look."

Slowly, reluctantly, I inch towards the table. As I come closer, I notice not far to the side a cauldron of classical design, showing some signs of recent use, and covered in odd stains of many colors. When I'm a few feet from the long furniture, my eyes pick up the telltale rhythmic rise and fall of the blanket. My long training identifies it immediately, but my mind doesn't want to believe it. But logic and experience tell me that no other source of motion would be that regular, that specific.

The conclusion is inevitable: somepony's breathing under that cover.

I swallow a mouthful of air and lick my dry lips with my equally dry tongue. I don't have a heart, but I could swear I can feel it beating faster anyway. Adrenaline also is but a memory, but the fire coursing through my limbs and chest begs to differ. Hell, I could even swear that I'm sweating.

Behind me, Cadence is looking on with a filly's anticipation on Hearth's Warming Eve. Her wings are twitching with agitation, and her legs are doing a little dance on the spot. I swallow again, and repress my fears. I trust my wife. If she thinks that this is a good thing, I'll believe her, no matter what my instincts are telling me.

No point in putting it off any longer. I seize the blanket in magic, and with one sharp tug rip it off the table altogether, flinging it to the side and looking at what's underneath.

My jaw drops. My ears fold back. My eyes become dinner plates.

Underneath that blanket is… me.

Or, I suppose I should say: me as I was as a unicorn in my prime, plus a few feet of height and appropriate adjustments to maintain my proportions. And on my side… wings. Long wings covered in pure white feathers to match the fur on my coat. I check my… I mean, the body's head. A snow-colored horn, long and straight and sharp, protrudes from the forehead. This thing is me. As an alicorn.

"Surprise!" comes the sound of Cadence's voice, and dirty, rosy forelegs wrap around my neck from behind. I stagger under the sudden addition of weight, but my instincts easily guide me compensate for it and right myself within seconds. She laughs and bends down to nuzzle my cheek and nibble my ear. I don't feel it.

Well, even less than usual, I mean.

"So," she whispers to me. "Do you like it?"

"Cadence," I manage after a long interval. "Are you… are you…" I don't think. I just say the first thing that comes to mind. "Are you _replacing_ me?" My voice is hoarse with a choked-back sob.

Who am I kidding? Of course she's replacing me. I don't know how, but it looks like she's finally found a worthier mate than a dead ruin of a guard captain, no matter how I… how I… feel about it. Oh gods, what is this feelin-

"**WHAT?!**" my wife's terrified scream echoes throughout the cave around us, shaking loose a shower of dust from the ceiling, coating the three of us in it. Faster than blinking, Cadence is in front of my face. "Shining, look at me. Look at me!" Her hoof grasps my chin and forces it upwards, bringing my eyes up to meet her violet orbs. They're filled with tears, flowing liberally down her cheeks. "Listen to me: no matter what happens, no matter what the future holds, come hell and high water alike, I will _never_ replace you!" She hugs me close and rubs my back, while I hang limp, too confused and surprised to do much of anything.

After a very long time of tearful embrace, Cadence loosens her grip and looks me in the eye again. Her eyes are bloodshot and watery. "You have to believe me. Please say you believe."

"I… believe you," I manage, feeling rather pathetic. "But… what's… what's…" I flop a hoof limply towards the body on the table.

"That?" she sniffs, and smiles sadly. "Oh, Shiny… That's not your replacement. That's your _gift_! From me to you."

"A gift?" I reply, unable to quite grasp the concept. Damn, I feel stupid.

"A new body," she whispers, nuzzling me again. "A living, breathing body, crafted in your image, which will never expire, never sicken, never grow weak with age." She strokes my chest with a hoof. "You'll be able to breathe and eat and feel and… _live_ again!" The excitement in her voice is building once more. "Think of it: we can be together again! Like it used to be! No, better! Because you won't age, you won't tire, and you'll never have to endure another day of…" she grins flirtatiously. "Deprivation."

"Cadence…" I trail off, still unsure of exactly what to say. "You made this thing?"

She nods and turns her gaze to it. "I did. For you. It was a lot of work… and it cost a lot… but…" she looks back to me. "It was worth every bit. Because now I can give it to you."

The acquired cynicism of centuries is a powerful force, and it rears its ugly head again. What if this is a dream? What if I've just fallen asleep at my desk? Or what if this is some kind of cruel illusion? How could this truly be possible? It couldn't…

Could it?

I swallow. "How could you possibly have made-"

Cadence puts a gentle hoof over my mouth. "Shhh… it's not important right now. What's important at this moment is that I can make you live again, Shining. Don't you want that? Don't you want us to be like we were, all those years ago?"

"I… more than anything…"

She smiles sweetly. "Then take my gift. Take this body, my prince, and be whole again."

I lick my lips yet again. None of this seems real to me. It all seems… too good to be true. My military instincts are telling that it must be; that there must be some kind of angle to this whole affair. There has to be a trick… or a trap… Things like this don't just happen out of nowhere. The solution to your life's biggest problem doesn't suddenly fall from the sky in the hooves of a caring angel.

But this is my wife… and this doesn't feel like a dream…

The voice speaks into my head once again. For once, it's something more than simple discouragement.

_You could be alive again._

Life. Air in my lungs. A heart in my chest. Food in my stomach. The wind on my face. My wife's soft body beside me at night.

_You could be respected._

Not looked at as a freak by ordinary ponies. Not pitied by my sister or coddled like a foal by my wife. Seen as a noble prince rather than necromantic abomination by others.

_You could equal your sister._

I could finally be what Twily is. Royalty in every sense of the word. Accomplished, powerful, and respected. I could be her big brother again, rather than the hollow shell of a stallion that I've become.

_You could be what she deserves._

I look at Cadence. She's looking at me with pleading eyes, hoping and praying I take her offer. I imagine myself as an alicorn prince… I could finally be her equal. I could finally do my duty as a protector. I wouldn't have to rely on her to save me. And I could finally show her as much love as she's earned.

Now that I think about it, there really is only one answer I can give.

"I'll do it."

* * *

"Now, sit back and relax," says Cadence, as I lie on the table beside the alicorn form, our heads and horns locked together with runic chains. "This should only take a few seconds of real time. But in the other plane, time is… flexible." She shakes her head. "I don't know how long it will seem to you."

"Probably not long," I say with a slight smirk. "I have a good reason to hurry back."

My wife giggles and brushes her tail over me. I can just imagine the wonderful, silky-smooth sensation from back before it was so ethereal. What must it feel like now? I want to know. And soon, with any luck, I will.

Her face becomes serious. "Now, I'll do all the work of providing the path, but you have to follow it. Shining," she looks me dead in the eye. "When you're severed from this body, you'll feel a very strong upwards pull. You must _not_ follow that, whatever you do. That's your soul being called to the hereafter, and if you wander off I don't think you'll ever find your way back."

I swallow nervously and nod. "Can't you just-"

"Do what I did before?" she shakes her head. "The mechanics of soul transfer are a bit… complicated, but suffice to say that binding a soul to golem and fitting it into a living body are very different from a magical perspective. I'm not so much tying it down as gently guiding it home. Just follow the path I make for you, and you'll be alright. Ok?"

"Ok," I answer. Cadence shudders, and I put a hoof on her shoulder. "I'll be fine, understand?"

She nods and wipes away a tear. "I k-know… it's just that… the risks… even a tiny risk I'll lose you is too much… I don't know if I should…"

"Cadence," I say, cupping her chin under my hoof. "You're the bravest, most talented mare I know. I trust you completely. You do your part, and I'll do mine."

Cadence sniffs, and, after a pause of some length, nods. "Alright."

I smile, close my eyes, and lay back as my wife begins her incantation.

The realm of souls… words to describe it properly do not exist in our language. I can see _everything_, and yet nothing. Colors foreign to the material realm dance in front of my eyes, and I know that they are flavors magic. Then I forget it. Then learn it again. Then forget. Then learn. And so on it goes, for how long I'm not sure.

I'm floating, in a dreamlike state. Then I'm surrounded by black fog. Cadence promised me a path, but I don't see anything. I feel a tug, where my heart used to be. It bids me to rise, to ascend beyond our insignificant planet orbiting a tiny star in an ordinary galaxy, and behold all the secrets of the universe. I look upwards, and feel myself start to drift. Up. Up. Up, I go. Stars and planets and galaxies and darkness and light and…

NO!

I grab my mind and wrench it back. I need to focus. Need to follow the path. Buck the afterlife with a fifteen foot pole.

I'm Shining Armor, and I will _not _abandon my princess.

I'm back in the darkness. Black fog surrounds me, drifting this way and that. I look, but there's no road I can see. Nothing but blackness in every direction, watching… waiting…

Then the darkness coalesces. There's a road now, green and grey and black and colors we don't have words for. I follow it, hearing the slightest sounds of my wife's voice resound. It gets stronger as I gallop down the trail, which twists and turns and forms itself into a maze. For what feels like centuries, I gallop this way and that, praying that I'm not lost. Then, suddenly, the maze is gone. There's a bright green light in front of me. On instinct, I leap in.

And the realm of souls is gone. Now there is only darkness.

* * *

I gasp, panting for breath by the instincts buried deep within all living things. Air rushes in, warm and dusty and smelling quite funny and…

Wait.

Air rushes in. I just breathed in.

I have lungs.

I have a _body_.

I let the breath out quickly, just to make sure. Just to be sure I'm not imagining this. I feel my chest deflate, feel the air rush up my trachea, feel it exit my mouth. My mouth, which is warm and wet and full of nerves.

I can't explain how this good the simple act of breathing in and out feels after such a long time. I might compare it to a fresh spring of water after days in the Saddle Arabian desert, but such falls woefully short of the sheer excitement I'm feeling right now. My heartbeat – I have a heart, huzzah – picks up as adrenaline floods my body in response to the emotions overwhelming me right now.

"Shining?" a soft, sweet voice whispers, almost hesitantly.

The voice in my head is gone, but this… _this_ is hearing.

"Are you there?" it asks me, and something soft rubs itself along my neck. It's been far too long since I've felt it, but I'd recognize the feel of Cadence's muzzle anywhere.

I've put this off too long already. Slowly, as if arising from a deep slumber, I force my body's eyelids open. The scene before me is not much brighter than the interior of my eyelids, but these eyes adjust more quickly than my originals ever did. One eye sees nothing but the redwood below and the end of my muzzle. But the other… I see my wife, covered in dirt and grime and stains, but beautiful nonetheless.

_This_ is seeing.

Cadence looks directly into my eye as it opens, twin expressions of hope and fear plain to behold on her face. "Shiny?" she asks again. "Is that you? Are you in there?"

I take another breath of air. Stale and full of dust and funny smells as it is, the sensation is marvelous. From long memory and instinct, I force this body's voice box into action. "You'd better…" I wheeze slightly, not yet used to breathing again. "Believe it," I finish, and curl the lips back into what I hope looks like a smile.

"Oooooh," tears roll down her rosy cheeks while her mouth forms that gorgeous smile. "Come here, you!" Cadence wastes no time in pulling me into a kiss.

If breathing again was a joy, this is… heavenly. There's no other word sufficient to describe the feeling of my wife soft lips, even stained with dirt and something blue, on my own again. So soft. So smooth. So perfect. I kiss her back with everything I have, which I'll admit isn't much, but she seems to enjoy it all the same. Her flowing mane wraps itself around my face and neck once again and… gods, it feels smoother and softer than any silk I can ever recall touching when I was last alive.

It's during this moment that another thing I've been missing out on for four hundred years or so comes back to me in a rush: hormones. This body has all the primal instincts of a stallion, combined with centuries of repressed longings. I'm not going to lie: the mare in front of me is gorgeous, and I want her. I want her so badly right now.

As an aside: I'd always wondered if the straightening of wings on pegasi and alicorns during moments of intense emotional activity was voluntary or an inbuilt reflex. I can now confirm from personal experience that it is the latter.

Cadence at last breaks our kiss, violet eyes still shedding tears freely. "It _is_ you," she says in a tone that suggests that she can't quite believe it either. Then she notices my… ahem, expanded wings. I can feel my cheeks warming as extra blood rushes to them. Cadence chuckles with embarrassment, like the blushing bride she was during our first time. Her own rosy cheeks become even rosier, and her wings very quickly snap to attention.

Cadence takes a few steps back from the table as I roll this body off of it. I stagger a bit, not quite used to how the different build needed for flight affects my center of gravity. Blue magic catches me before I fall, and I manage to get myself onto all four hooves, though not without a little bit of stumbling. My wife chuckles, and I blush some more, but truthfully her melodious voice only makes me want her all the more.

I glance upwards by chance during my first, hesitant steps in these new hooves. There's something near the cavern's roof. I can't quite make it out. Is it… grey smoke? Is something on fire? I blink, and it's gone. Huh. It must have been my imagination, or maybe just a product of my new eyeballs. Seeing through wet, soft orbs instead of crystalline lenses is another skill I'll have to relearn, it seems.

Then my gorgeous princess nuzzles me on the neck again, and all thoughts of anything else are washed away in a tide of hormonal desire. Cadence smiles and her wings are stretched about as far as it is physically possible for them to go. I return the smile.

I can tell that this night is going to be the best I've had in a long, long time.


	13. Chapter 13

Cadence

By the time we finally manage to teleport back to our chambers, I'm utterly exhausted, my breathing is hard, I'm dirty, sweaty, and I can barely walk. But hot damn, I can't remember ever feeling better than I do right at this moment. How did I _ever _go so long without this?

Beside me, I'm quite proud to say that Shining now looks just as tired as I do, if not more so. I'm resting my head against his neck – it feels just as nice as I'd hoped to be looking up at my stallion again – and he has his head atop mine. Our wings are intertwined as we support one another, to keep our shaky legs from collapsing underneath us. Slowly but surely, we make our way across the few feet in between ourselves and our desperately-needed bed.

It's just as we've managed to flop limply onto the mattress that an earth pony stallion in the armor of the Crystal Guard opens our door. Probably continuing whatever search Shiny started earlier, my brain sluggishly informs me.

His expression rapidly turns to one of shock, and he rushes to our bedside. "Your highness!" He stares down at me, concern radiating from him. "Are you alright? And…" he glances at my husband, now lying there with his eyes shut, and his ears fold back. He can't have failed to recognize his commander – there are far too many portraits of him in life about the castle for anypony to not know what Shining looked like – but his mind doesn't seem to want to believe what his eyes are saying.

"S alright…" I manage, fighting off the urge to just switch off like a light. "Tha's… Shining… Armor…" My breath is heavy, and speaking is difficult, but I manage.

The guard's nostrils flare and his face begins to rapidly redden. I realize that we must still stink of all we just got through doing. I'd be embarrassed, if I could work up the energy. We'll just have to deal with it in the morning.

"Please…" I plead, struggling to keep my suddenly lead eyelids open. If I close them now, that'll be it. "Give us… alone time… need… rest… explain… morning…"

The now thoroughly nervous and embarrassed guard nods and, taking the excuse offered, bolts back out the door he came from, no doubt rushing off to inform his comrades that their quest is at an end. I bet it'll make for more than a little raunchy teasing in the barracks, but I'm too contented and sleepy to give a damn.

A pulse of magic in my brain reminds me of one last unhappy obligation I have before bed. I muster up a scrap of magic to pull open a chest of drawers near our bed and remove a personal effect. The camera floats awkwardly into what I think is a good position before snapping a picture of us both. I snatch the print that comes out and return the camera to the top of the furniture. With one last effort, I cast the spell, the print disappears, and I collapse into peaceful slumber.

* * *

Celestia

I sit back against my room's sofa and simply take a moment to enjoy my own hoofwork. The sun – my sun – slowly rising against the backdrop of the ocean is an impressive sight, and a calming one at that. I take a delicate sip from my cup of jasmine tea, taking time to savor the flavor in my mouth before swallowing. Aaaahhh… It's quite relaxing. And, with how things are going, I need that right now.

My brow furrows as my mind returns to the source of my frustrations: these negotiations. I swear for all the gods to hear, it's as if these mortal imbeciles are _looking_ for an excuse to kill one another. To waste time, money, and irreplaceable lives shedding blood over some rocks in the middle of the ocean that will be mined out in a paltry few decades at most. Days in, and we haven't even established the basics.

The Gryphus Empire demands that its geological estimates be used for determining any hypothetical splitting of the isles, while Prance has produced any alternate set, and both sides accuse the other of attempting to cheat them. Neither was willing to commission a third party to do an independent study, not trusting the other side to select an unbiased team. It got so bad that I actually had to request the aid of my own former student, a Princess of Equestria, to lead a joint delegation to do basic fact-finding. Pandering to these idiotic sentiments with Twilight's valuable time is humiliating, but as ever my Princess of Friendship was willing to step in and lend a hoof to the cause of peace. Her self-sacrificing nature is befitting a proper alicorn. I couldn't be more proud.

Still, with any luck at all this won't be necessary within a few generations, and I can-

Hmmm, what's this?

A small flash of light appears above my head, and a folded piece of paper materializes into being. I snatch it up with magic before gravity can, and bring it in front of my face. It lacks the usual seal identifying which pony is contacting me. Still, it can only be one of a few, so I unfold it.

It's a photograph. Of my niece and… my eyes widen just a fraction. Is it? Could it finally be?

I take a long and careful look. Then I smile.

Yes…

I actually pump my hoof like a hoofball player. And I barely restrain from the temptation to jump in the air and whoop. Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes YES! Of course I'll need to ask for more details on the creation process later, but for right now simply setting eyes on the first male of my species that I've seen since the loss of my father is more than enough.

I thought that the most important thing that I'd be doing today would be fighting for the fate of thousands of mortal lives. But I was wrong. I was oh so wrong. And I've never been so glad of it. This is but one conflict of many, all involved will be dead in a mere century, but what has just happened… it will change our world forever.

Oh Mi Amore Cadenza, I'm sorry that I ever doubted you. When this is over, one way or another, I must take the time to stop by the Crystal Empire and offer my niece and nephew my congratulations in the flesh. And after that… I had better be certain that my preparations for foals are complete. It has been a rather long time since I was last called upon to play the role of a mother.

I sit back and relax, sipping at my steaming hot tea again. This has suddenly become a much better morning.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle

I'm standing atop a boat in the middle of the ocean. It's mid-morning, and my mentor's sun is shining brightly overhead. With me on the boat are eight other sapient creatures: four gryphons, two unicorns, a pegasus, and an earth pony. Each set of four represents a hastily put-together delegation from the diplomatic parties negotiating under Princess Celestia's oversight. My job is put together in very little time a geological survey of rocky Senadas isles, and their collective job is to stare over my shoulder while I do it.

Slightly annoying, yes, but I'm happy to serve the cause of friendship between nations. That's my duty as princess, and, if I'm entirely honest has been an increasing focal point of my life since my friends and family passed. Don't get me wrong, I still love to make new friends, but it's much harder when you know for a fact that you'll watch them die over the course of decades while you remain locked in eternal youth. Duty helps to fill the void, as Princess Celestia told me from millennia of bitter experience.

I'm lucky, really. I've had Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Cadence, Shining Armor, Spike, and even Discord to keep me company in the long centuries. My mentor endured it alone for a thousand years, with her sister on the moon and nopony at all to comfort her. I can only imagine the strength it took to get through that. A lesser mare would have gone insane from the isolation and loneliness. I just hope I never have to meet that same challenge.

I'm in the middle of writing down a few initial observations when yet another scroll appears over my head. Seems I'm popular these days.

The seal is from the Crystal Empire. My heart rate jumps a bit. I left Cadence and Shining in a bad state. Has something happened? Should I have been there? Is somepony hurt? Oh gods… are they breaking up?! What if-

Calm down, Twilight. Deep breaths.

In, out. In, out. In, out. In, out.

Aaaahhh…

That's better. Now, let's open this thing and see what's up.

I break the seal and take a look at the contents:

_Dear Twily,_

_They say a picture is worth a thousand words. I hope that they're right, because I don't think I have the words to describe this properly. I was never as good at writing as you are. So I'll let this photo do the talking._

_ I wanted to break the news face-to-face but I don't know how long you'll be away, and I'd rather you hear it from me than some rumor._

_ Come see us as soon as you can._

_Always Your BBFFF,_

_Shining Armor_

As the letter states, accompanying it is a photograph. I set it aside while reading, and only after assessing my brother's the brief and somewhat vague message do I take a look. It's a picture Cadence, posing by…

My jaw drops. Could it be?

My brother, whom I preserved in a crystal statue for centuries, is posing by his wife. In the flesh. Exactly as how I remember him in life.

No… he's about a head taller than Cadence, and her mane and proportions tell me that this must have been taken recently… and my brother doesn't have wings…

Then it clicks.

My happy squeal rings out for all the heavens to hear.

* * *

Shining Armor

I'm not usually one for ostentatious ornamentation. Never have been, and especially not since boot camp, and learning just how easily restrictive or heavy clothing can get a pony killed a dozen different ways in a fight. I've always preferred simpler, more practical decoration, like my armor (ok, yes, it is a bit flashy but that's tradition) or a uniform jacket for especially fancy occasions.

So you can imagine the war that very quickly brakes out between the royal tailors and I. On one side, two mares and a stallion under pressure to whip up an outfit appropriate for an alicorn prince in a very short amount of time and determined to make it as over-the-top and theatrical as possible. And on the other, yours truly, not wanting my first public appearance as a living being in hundreds of years to be marred by looking like an overdressed, gaudy peacock of a stallion.

We can't exactly keep what's happened a secret. I mean, the news has already spread throughout the barracks before we even wake up in the morning, and of course some loose lips managed to get the story to a morning tabloid in time for printing. Gossipy ponies around the Crystal Empire, and I don't doubt very soon if not already beyond, are on about what's become of the princess's husband. So, to head the rumors off before something stupid happens, we're going to do a public announcement of my "ascension", as Cadence calls it. I think I'm being given too much credit considering that all I did was receive a gift created by somepony else, but my wife just giggles and tells me that my centuries in unfeeling purgatory make me more than deserving. I don't know, but she's our public relations expert.

With the importance of first impressions in mind, I hope you see why I'm so ardent in my battle with the clothing crusaders. I mean, for gods' sake, they want to put me in golden armor plating. Not the faux version the Royal Guard wear, actual gold. With a red and white _cape_, of all things! I'd feel ridiculous in that kind of overdone clown suit. The biggest disagreement between the three is whether I should wear a helmet or a crown. All I ask for is a simple navy and gold uniform jacket, tailored to my new measurements. But do they listen? Of course not. So we wind up arguing far more than actually measuring for more than an hour, and just to make matters worse, when my wife arrives, she promptly sides with them!

Thanks, honey.


	14. Chapter 14

Shining Armor

"So, what do you think?" asks my dear, beloved, traitorous weasel of a wife. She gestures to the outfit hastily arranged on a somewhat undersized alicorn mannequin that I'm reasonably certain is supposed to be the tailors' model of Cadence.

"It's… better," I grudgingly admit, before shaking my head. "You helped them, didn't you?"

She smirks. "I may or may not have slipped them a few suggestions on what might look best on you, yes."

"Traitor," I accuse her irritably, to which her smirk simply widens. "You know I was never one for dressing up like a peacock. Couldn't I just wear a uniform jacket? I think I look pretty good in those."

"You look good, but not _royal_," she corrects me.

"I've worn jackets like that since our wedding day," I point out. "And you never had a problem with it before."

"And you've never announced your ascension to alicornhood before," she counters. "As a unicorn you could get away with your limited wardrobe, but alicorns are expected to have a greater degree of sophistication to their wear. Especially when attending such important public events. Or did you think Twilight and I wore those dresses for _fun_?"

"I know. It's not fair," I groan, putting a hoof over my face.

Cadence snorts. "Not fair? You can complain about not fair when _you_ have to spend three hours getting your mane done into this ridiculous thing." She points a hoof at her head, and the ceremonial headdress atop it. I recognize it for the very same one that she first wore on the day of our competing for the Equestria Games for the first time. I would love to ask how many cans of hairspray valiantly laid down their lives to make my wife's mane sit still, but frankly I don't want to know.

"I had to spend the time catching up on paperwork," I defend myself. Seriously, do you know how much work piles up in my office over a measly two days of time away from ordinary business? Why anypony would want the job of ruling a nation, much less try and take one over by force, eludes me to this day.

"Tell you what: I'll trade you next time. I'll fill out forms, and you get your mane put into this setup."

Me? In that? I stifle a chuckle at my own expense and shake my head. "Sorry honey, but no deal. You're stuck with it," I flash her a roguish grin.

Cadence smiles triumphantly. "Then _you're_ stuck with this little number." She puts a hoof over the clothing, and my grin vanishes. My wife rolls her eyes. "Oh come on, Shiny, it's not that bad."

I like to think of myself as a reasonably objective stallion, so I have to admit that's she's right – if we're comparing it to the initial idea for actual golden armor. This new creation is a full suite of genuine steel battle armor, minus helmet, polished to a solid silver sheen and engraved with elegant swirls of gold in numerous places along the sides, chest, and legs. Matching steel hoof coverings included, naturally. That's a bit showy, but not such a bad design in and of itself.

If only they had stopped there.

Underneath the armor plating are a matching velvet set of deep purple tunic and pants, showing through wherever necessity or design left gaps in the steel plates. It's really rather a flashy effect, but again I suppose I might learn to tolerate it. No, the really awful part, the thing that more than any other makes me hate this outfit, is that they totally ignored my wishes. They put a _cape_ on this bloody thing.

Let me explain something: I hate capes. Can't stand them. Some ponies think that they look bold or dramatic, but really they only make the wearer look silly. Whether billowing out in the wind (and getting wrapped around your face when it switches direction) or hanging over one's flank (and constituting a tripping hazard), capes are uniformly impractical to wear and not much to look at.

So _of course_ my wife and tailors decided to add a cape to my ensemble. Of course they did.

The cape on the armor is a lengthy purple thing, attached slightly behind the shoulder and stretching down to just above my rear hooves (or so they assure me, on the actual mannequin it goes past the hooves and onto the floor). It's made of dark violet velvet to match my other clothing, with a white faux fur trim around the edge. Seriously, guys and gals? Fur? Yes, I know it's fake. Yes, I know it's traditional royal garb for kings and princes of the Crystal Empire. But does it have to be on _my_ outfit?

"I disagree," I answer Cadence after a moment of silence. "It is that bad, and I will not show up in public alive for the first time in generations wearing that costume."

"Come on, Shiny," my wife urges me. "Do it for me? Pleeeease?"

I cross my forelegs and shake my head. "No."

There is no way, no how, that I am _ever_ going to wear that stupid outfit.

* * *

I can't believe I'm wearing that stupid outfit.

Damn Cadence and those irresistible pleading eyes of hers.

Speaking my treasonous wife, she and I are lined up together in an antechamber to the Imperial Palace's main viewing balcony. There's about half an hour left before the big public debut of brand new me, and the crowd is already pretty large. From what I hear in palace gossip, the rumor community has currently formed into a relatively even split between those who think I've become an alicorn, and those who think I'm being replaced by an alicorn. Then there are the fringe theories, which include that Cadence, myself, or both of us have been replaced by changelings, that I launched a coup against my wife, that we're being annexed by Equestria, and so on.

Cadence is busy practicing her hastily-written speech in front of a mirror, while I am occupied with getting my mane attacked by a pair of fussy mares with far too much time on their hooves.

"It doesn't flow," comments one of them, running a comb through the back of my mane after an excessive does of hairspray. "But it is almost as difficult to work with as her highness's. Do you cast a spell on your hair to keep it from staying down, my prince?"

I snort at the question, but before I can do more the other speaks up. "It doesn't flow like the rest of their highnesses' manes. Why is that?" she asks me.

I shrug. "Search me. I'm rather new to this myself, but I can tell you that there was a time when Cadence and Twilight's manes didn't flow."

"Told you so!" says one to the other. "You owe me five bits!"

"Shut up," grumbles the second mare.

"Maybe it's just a function of age," I speculate out loud. "Or maybe it simply doesn't happen to stallions."

Wishful thinking, that. I'd like to keep a longer manestyle without it perpetually flowing in the wind and making me look like some pretty-colt or mare. If this thing starts fluttering in the breeze, I'll have to cut it real short or be the laughingstock of the Crystal Guard. I suppose I'll need to ask Celestia or Luna when next I see them.

In front of the mirror, Cadence finishes her practice session, and before she can begin again I interrupt. "You know of course that you're going to _pay_ for this," I use my right hoof to indicate myself, my outfit, and the two stylists attacking my mane.

She raises an eyebrow and smirks at me. "Oh?"

I present a tight smile. "You may be a princess out here, but once that door closes on our bedroom tonight," my smile blossoms into a full-on devilish grin. "You're _mine_, little mare."

"Ooooh, I _quiver _with fear." Cadence upturns her skirt just enough to flick her long tail teasingly at me. The tip just barely grazes the edge of my muzzle.

I adopt an indignant pose and stick my tongue out at her. She responds in kind, closing her eyes and just short of giving me a raspberry.

We hold our respective postures for a hooful of seconds, before cracking and breaking down into a giggling fit. Cadence walks over and rests her head against my chest. I nuzzle her affectionately.

"Love you, honey," I whisper into her ear before nibbling it just enough to be playful.

Cadence runs a soft wing over my chest and down my foreleg. How I've missed that wonderful sensation.

"Love you too," she smiles.

* * *

Cadence

The clock chimes four, and I know that it's time. I give Shining a smile and quick kiss for luck, then turn and exit our little antechamber. I'll be going out first, both to reassure everypony that I'm alright and do the actual announcement. I'm wear a long, sapphire-colored dress threaded with gold and studded with blue diamonds, complete with a ballgown-like skirt. Add a heavy golden necklace that might be mistaken for a yolk, diamond earrings, and crystalline horseshoes so clear that a pony might not notice them on first glance, and you have my outfit. Also? My mane and tail still smell funny from the chemical bath I had to undergo to get them to stand still, in spite of all the perfume I put on afterwards. And they feel really stiff. Put all of this together, and I don't know what Shiny's complaining about. His getup is nothing compared to mine.

I roll my eyes and smile. Stallions. They have it _so_ easy.

I know that I shouldn't be so hard on Shiny – ah, who I am kidding? I know precisely the opposite. We used to tease each other all the time when we were young. It helped to keep us from getting all stuffy and uptight about everything, like some ponies seem to be. It's another thing I've missed about our relationship these many years, but with so little left to him I didn't dare poke his fragile pride. But now that's behind us, and I can get back into the game! Squee!

I give myself a little nibble just to be sure that I haven't been dreaming this up… Nope! I really have finally gotten what I've wanted most, and I really am on my way to announce my husband's ascension to the world! Yes! I pump my hoof triumphantly, and there's a bounce in my step as close on the balcony doors. If it weren't for the weight of this dress, I might be skipping like a school filly.

I halt before the double doors leading to the balcony and take a moment to compose myself. Deep breaths. In and out, in and out. You're a princess, so be sure and look the part. Remember: dignity and poise. Don't go out squealing like a little filly.

When I am reasonably certain that I'm ready for the show, I nod to the twin unicorn guards, who pull open the doors with magic. I step out into the sun.

Arrayed before me is a vast crowd. I don't know exactly how many. I'm no Twilight, with her irrepressible ability with numbers. I'm sure if she were here she could estimate the exact audience count by finding the average number of ponies in a given amount of space and then totaling the amount of space occupied. Lacking the ability to do that without paper, I'm just forced to go with my gut, which gives me a wild guess of ten thousand or more. Crystal ponies constitute a clear majority, but I also spy pegasi and unicorns among the crowd, some gryphons, a smattering of zebras, and even a small number of minotaurs in the audience. All look up when I step out, and not a few start chattering in low murmurs. Some even wave at me.

My wings twitch slightly with excitement, but I suppress that urge, take a final deep breath, and cast a spell to activate the microphone about my throat.

"Ladies and gentlecolts," the sound of my voice booms out through the speakers we've set up, and the crowd falls silent. "Citizens of the Crystal Empire! I, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, bid you welcome. I wish, first of all, to thank each and every one of you for taking time from your busy schedules to come and attend this very special event. I know that you all have your own lives to lead, and I am deeply touched that so many of you have chosen to lend some of your time to me. Again, I thank you."

I pause, and almost immediately hundreds, then thousands of ponies start stamping their hooves. I let them for a time, then hold up a hoof for silence. That takes a minute, but eventually all is quiet once more.

"I would request," I continue. "That you please conserve your applause for the culmination of this ceremony." I pause briefly again, just to be sure. Thankfully, the vast majority honor my wishes. Once I'm certain, I go on. "Secondly, I wish to extend my apologies to anypony who has been inconvenienced by the chaos of the previous day. There was a small issue of confusion about the whereabouts of myself and my husband, and for that I accept full responsibility. Neither the Crystal Guard nor any other pony was to blame for the incident, and I ask that you bear them no hostility nor begrudge them for any difficulties you may have endured. To all residents of the Crystal Empire, citizens and guests alike: I am sorry." I bow my head, to more murmurs from the audience. There is a scattering of applause, but most ponies continue to hold it, as per my request.

"Thirdly," I proceed, my tone now much happier for having gotten that out of the way. "The main reason that we are here. I know that some among you," my eyes sweep meaningfully along a row of journalists, whole are presently engaged in either photographing me or writing down everything I say. "Have heard rumors of certain extraordinary events over the past few hours. Some of you may have been involved in spreading them. I have called you all here to dispel certain suppositions, and to confirm the truth of others." I pause again to let the chatterers chatter amongst themselves. "It is with great pride and the deepest of pleasure that I say that I am here to announce a new addition to the family of the alicorns!"

That gets a reaction. Almost everypony says something to one another, or else shouts it at me. Speculation runs rampant, and not a few call out to ask who the father of the new baby is. How I would have a baby without having been visibly pregnant these last few months is a puzzle to me, but I guess all sorts of miraculous things are attributed to my kind. I raise another hoof for silence, but that doesn't work this time.

"Ladies and gentlecolts, please!" I implore them. "Please, cease talking, and I promise I will tell you all!" That, on the other hoof, does it. Silence once again descends.

"Ahem," I clear my throat before continuing. "Now then, first of all let me lay to rest any speculation about a baby. I have had no children for many years, and I did not give birth yesterday. Furthermore-" I'm interrupted by the various reactions of the audience, ranging from cheers to disappointed sighs. "_Furthermore_," I emphasize the word a bit more. "While new to the family of alicorns, the stallion of whom I speak has been with us for a very long time. With his impeccable record of loyal service to crown and country alike, his unending devotion to the Crystal Empire, and his oft-demonstrated bravery and commitment, it gives me great pleasure to announce to you all that the latest to ascend into the alicorn race is my husband, your captain of the guard: Prince Shining Armor!"

I whirl around to face the double doors. Right on cue, Shining Armor steps out onto the balcony in his suit of… well, shining armor. The polished steel gleams brightly in the afternoon sun, so much so that it might well blind an ordinary pony up close. As planned, the weather pegasi whip up just enough of a wind to cause his mane and cape to billow dramatically as he strides into full view of the audience. Like we discussed, he flares his wings as wide as they can go and simultaneously lights up his horn. Standing there in his armor and cape, a stoic look concealing the embarrassment that only I can sense, my husband looks the very image of a noble warrior prince. I for one think that it's quite dashing.

The reactions from the audience are mixed. Some stare blankly with shock. Others shout in dismay. Still more whisper to their neighbors, pointing at Shining.

But by far, the biggest reaction is applause. It starts slowly, with a few of the bolder ponies stamping their hooves for their prince. Then, like an avalanche started by a single pebble, it grows and grows until it's out of all control. The crowd below us cheers wildly, stamping their hooves or clapping their hands or talons in thunderous, rapturous applause.

Bolstered by long years of military discipline, Shining Armor keeps his face neutral and stoic, trying to look the part of the brave commander. But from up close, I can see a small tear sliding down his cheek and the twitching at the corner of his mouth. But most of all, I can feel my husband's happiness radiating from the core of his being.

From where I stand, off to the side as not to hog the spotlight, I smile contentedly.


	15. Chapter 15

Shining Armor

Alright, I'll cop to it: I cry just a little bit during the applause. I know, I know, it's not exactly proper stallion-like behavior. And I also know that Cadence should be the one receiving the outpouring of support, not me. She was the one who did all the work that made this possible. Sure, she insists I earned it with my years spent as a golem for her sake, but ultimately all I did was receive a thoroughly unexpected but wondrous gift from my wife. But I can't help but shed a few tears of liquid pride all the same – after being the freak of the royal family for so long, you can't quite imagine just how good it feels to have thousands of ponies spontaneously cheering for you. These last few hours have convinced me: I must be the luckiest stallion alive. From an unfeeling crystal prison to immortal flesh and the love of a beautiful wife who's been more faithful to me than I've ever deserved.

Eventually, the applause dies down, and I clear my throat to say my own brief piece. I hope I can halfway justify their support. I glance at my wife out of the corner of my eye, and she offers and encouraging nod. That helps, and I activate my own microphone.

"Citizens of the Crystal Empire," I say into the techno-magical device, my voice now booming from speakers instead of Cadence's. "My friends. I thank you sincerely, each and every one of you, for your show of confidence in me today. You honor me greatly with your cheers, and I can only pray that I will live up to your hopes for me."

There's more applause from the audience, though it lasts a bit less time than before. I continue when it's about pattered out. "On this day of my ascension, I promise to all of you, on my honor as prince and as a soldier, that I will never stop giving this Empire of ours my all. In everything I do I will seek to serve and protect our people, with every bit of power that my blessed new state grants to me. In turn, I ask only that you all go forth from this place in the spirit of love, harmony, and brotherhood, in hopes that tomorrow might be even better than today!"

With that, my first brief public address as an alicorn is over, and I switch off my microphone with a telekinetic prod. I step back slightly while the crowd applauds, Cadence coming forward to stand beside me. Together, we smile and wave for the cameras while the audience below roars its approval to the heavens.

I think I'm going to like this new chapter in my life.

* * *

Eventually, Cadence and I retreat back into the Imperial Palace with a final wave of our forelegs, which remain remarkably not sore for having been waving without rest for some ten minutes. Extra endurance is another perk of this form, it would seem. Of course, I already knew that from last night.

Heh.

Joking aside, it is nice not to feel significantly exhausted after a good day's work. What's even nicer is just feeling all the little sensations that I didn't even realize I missed. The feel of the carpet and the crystal floors beneath my hooves, the smell of flowers and that of food being prepared, the way the wind feels when you're walking against it, even the irritating little itches that you can't scratch – I'm experiencing every single one of those freshly, and I love it.

And then there are these wings. I confess that I don't really have clue what to do with them, beyond being able to tuck them in or spread them out. I'm not even sure how to flap them properly – they're different enough from their pegasus counterparts to render even my observations from them moot. Still, I'll admit that they do look good on me, and having them preened makes for a most… enjoyable experience.

Once we shed these overdone outfits (and Cadence washes her mane back to its usual ethereal state), the two of us head to a private dinner of our own. This will be my first meal with my wife in four hundred years – breakfast and lunch I had to take alone while I worked – and I can't wait. Cadence is in her usual royal regalia and I'm not wearing anything when we arrive on our private balcony, where our staff has kindly set out a meal for us.

The two of us sit down next to one another on a sofa, with a delectable spread of cooked greens, flowers, fruits, breads, and pastries on several platters in front of us. My mouth is already starting to water at the smell, but I want Cadence to get the first bite. She deserves it for making all this happen for my sake.

But my wife isn't looking at the food, she's regarding me. I glance at it meaningfully. She looks puzzled for half a second, then jerks her head slightly to the side, horn pointed at the meal.

So she wants to play it that way, does she?

I point at the meal with exaggeratedly stern look on my face.

Cadence giggles and shakes her head.

I point again.

"Shiny," she shoves me lightly on the shoulder. "It's your special day, you should have first crack at it."

"No, you," I insist. "You're the one who did all the work."

"I did it for you. Now come on and take a bite." She picks up a succulent-looking stalk of celery in blue magic, which looks to have been marinated in… something or the other.

Hey, not exactly a culinary expert after all this time, ok?

"Say ah," she teases, hovering the food near my head.

"Cady, I'm not going to- mmph!"

My wife, clever as ever, immediately takes the opportunity presented by my speech to shove the vegetable into my open mouth - whereupon she promptly starts giggling at me.

"You see, Shiny, you can't deny this- gah!"

Of course, I return the favor my jamming a slice of fried apple into her mouth while she's gloating. You'd really think she would have known better. Ah well, it's funnier this way.

Another advantage of alicornhood: choking on your food while laughing far too much at a relatively tame joke is a minor inconvenience rather than a life-threatening phenomenon.

After I've managed to cough the barely-chewed vegetable back up and swallow it properly this time, I return my attention to my wife. Or, at least, I try to. The instant my head comes up, it gets smacked by a pillow.

Once I pull the cushion off of my face, Cadence wags her hoof at me like a little foal. "Now Shining, you know that stealing ideas from others is wrong, you naughty colt."

"Says the mare that cheats to win," I retort.

She winks. "Cheating is what makes competing fun, love."

I answer with another of my trademark devilish grins. "Is that so? Well then…"

Before my wife has time to blink, my magical aura surrounds her body. I yank her directly towards me, catching her in one hoof and pushing her down onto the sofa. Using a move I've taught to generations of guard recruit to non-lethally subdue assorted assailants and rowdies, I pin her underneath me. Cadence squirms briefly, but seems to think better of it and relaxes. She knows I would never hurt her.

"I suppose I win, don't I?"

Cadence laughs at me.

"You said it yourself, dear. Cheating makes competing fun. And I do it better than you." My face is still showing off a cocksure grin.

"I suppose I can let you have this _little_ victory on your special day," she answers smugly. "So now what, oh glorious Shining Armor, conqueror of his wife?"

"Perhaps I'll force feed you the entire meal," I reply, before pausing briefly as another thought occurs to me. "Or…" I continue in a sly tone, bending down to whisper in her ear. "We could do something _else_ for my victory celebration."

Cadence blushes and her wings spread out a bit. "Really?" she giggles. "Here? Now?"

I raise an eyebrow and smile. "Why not? It's not like we haven't before."

Cadence runs a hoof over my chest. "Well, when you put it like _that_…" Her lips begin to come together. I close my eyes and bring my own head down to meet hers…

"Pardon me, your majesties, but- _Oh!_ Oh my!" the sound of another pony's voice shatters the moment.

Seriously, universe? Now, of all times? Perhaps some god gets their jollies by screwing with me.

I reluctantly scramble off my wife and look towards the source of the interruption, my cheeks feeling far warmer than they should. At the door of the balcony stands a young pegasus mare in servant's attire, her cheeks furiously blushing as she stares at the floor, looking for all the world like she wishes she knew how to seep into the crystal beneath her. Cadence pulls herself back up to a sitting position with twin expressions of disappointment and embarrassment warring for her face. For some time, there is nothing but extremely awkward silence.

Eventually, Cadence coughs lightly. "So," she says, "Was there something you needed to say, or…"

The mare tugs at her collar as though it were much too tight, before swallowing nervously. Her mouth moves, but no sound comes out.

"It's alright," says Cadence in a motherly tone. "You don't have to worry about being punished. You were only doing your job. Go on and tell us what you came here for."

The mare swallows again, still not daring to meet our eyes, but manages to find her voice. "Y-Yes, your m-majesty. There i-is… T-There is… a g-guest awaiting y-your highnesses." She licks her lips. "A v-very special guest."

"Can you please tell us who it is?" I ask, trying not to sound frustrated. But I'd really like to hear who it was that just interrupted our private time.

"Princess L-Luna," she stutters. "She s-says she's c-come to congratulate your h-highnesses. Asked to s-speak with y-you as soon as possible."

"Please tell my aunt that we will see her at once," Cadence says gently. "And then why don't you take the rest of the evening off? I think you may need it."

"Y-Yes, your majesty. Thank y-you, your majesty," she manages, before closing the door quite hastily. I can hear very rapid hoofsteps trailing away from it from the other side.

"Well," I say as the sounds fade away, if only to keep awkward silence at bay. "That was…"

"Unfortunate timing," Cadence completes my sentence for me with a sigh. "But it is what it is. Imagine if she'd come in a few minutes later." She giggles a little, picking up a small carrot from the table and nibbling it delicately.

I snort, caught between amusement and embarrassment. With little better to do, I also return my attention to the food on the table. It still tastes nice enough, but the mood is somewhat spoiled as of right this moment, and I do believe both our thoughts are more focused on what we might have been doing instead.

I'm gnawing in silence on a piece of honeyed bread when I catch the sound of more hoofsteps approaching the balcony door from the other side. In another moment, the door is opened by a different servant than before – a crystal pony stallion this time. He bows to my wife and I before speaking.

"Your majesties, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Shining Armor of the Crystal Empire, may I present her majesty Princess Luna of-"

"Oh, please do stop! There is no need for such formality on a personal visit!" A very familiar dark alicorn barges her way past the stallion, beaming widely at Cadence and I as we rise to greet our elder. "Besides," she turns to the servant as an afterthought. "I am certain my niece and nephew already know who I am."

"Of course, your highness," he mutters, before shrinking back the way he came and shutting the door behind him, leaving all three of us alone on the balcony.

As soon as he's gone, Princess Luna drops even the pretense of royal decorum and rushes right up to us, wrapping both our necks in a bone-crushing hug. "Congratulations!" she squeals in almost childlike tone. "Oh, congratulations to both of you! 'Twas wonderful news to receive!" Luna kisses first me, then Cadence on the forehead before releasing our necks. "And to think I thought this day would be dull!"

Cadence is quicker to recover. "And hello to you too, Auntie Luna," she says with a smile, even as she rubs her throat. I don't blame her.

"I came as soon as I could! I'm so sorry I couldn't be there for your announcement, but I did have just one or two pieces of court business that absolutely couldn't be put off," Luna rubs the back of her head with a hoof and grins awkwardly. "But you mustn't think that I didn't hurry here as quickly as I could!"

"Don't worry," I reassure her. "It's fine. I know how busy ruling nation can get. Especially when you're doing the work of three mares all by yourself!"

"Oh," Luna says. "That reminds me. Your sister and mine wrote to me soon after you did. They asked me to bear their congratulations as well as their apologies that they cannot be here immediately. This was most unexpected, you know."

"Trust me, I wasn't expecting it any more than you were," I answer her. "So I completely understand."

She nods. "I am certain that they would have come alongside me if lives were not at stake, but…" she trails off.

"It's _fine_," I repeat. "I know how important their work is, and I'm sure they'd love to have been here. But I can wait." I wink. "I have all the time in the world, you know."

"But of course!" Luna laughs, and then hugs just me. The way she does it, I'm very glad breathing is optional for me. "Again: congratulations, nephew! 'Tis a great joy to at last welcome you into our family in every way!" Then she releases me, and grabs Cadence in the same way. "And congratulations to you as well, niece! You truly selected a worthy mate, if he was able to transcend mortality even so long after his death!"

"Thanks… Auntie…" my wife manages, between gasps for air. I try and restrain my urge to chuckle at her plight.

At length, Luna releases her grip on Cadence and looks back and forth between both of us. "You must tell me all! How did you do it?"

I glance at my wife. In truth, she's been a bit evasive on the particulars whenever I've found the time to ask today, but honestly there's been so much going on that I didn't care enough to press. She did request that I let her explain if the subject came up, and I'll honor that. It's not like I could in any case.

Cadence pauses and bites her lip for a moment before responding. "Love," she answers at last. "The raw energy for Shining Armor's ascension came from love."

"You mean as it did in your wedding?" Luna asks.

Cadence shakes her head. "I mean, the energy came from the love stored in Crystal Heart. Our love was the conduit, but we may have had to… borrow some extra strength for a time. Like Twilight received power from the Elements of Harmony."

"Ah," Luna nods. "But what do you mean by "borrow" it?"

"I mean, the Heart is currently sapped of much of its strength."

What? I didn't know-

Cadence hastens to continue before I can even think through the repercussions. "But that's alright, isn't it? There's plenty of love and happiness in the air, it should recharge itself in a matter of weeks. And the energy isn't gone; it's just with Shining Armor now. Besides, it's not like there's anypony out to get us, is there?"

I feel a bit uneasy at the knowledge that Cadence sapped the Empire's defenses, even if temporarily, to make this possible, but I still trust her judgment. And her logic seems sound enough to me.

Luna appears thoughtful. "Sombra is dead… the changelings are no more… Discord is not even on this plane… Tirek remains in Tartarus…" She shakes her head. "I cannot think of any foe who might seek to gain advantage during this time, if they even somehow knew. And if there were," she looks at me and smiles. "I can think of nopony better suited to be the second alicorn guardian of the Crystal Empire than you, nephew. I am certain that this place is in safe hooves."

Cadence looks a little nervously at her aunt. It's subtle, but I know her body language like nopony else. "Anything else you needed to know?"

"Hmmm…" Luna puts a hoof under her chin. "No, I do believe that answers the question. The Crystal Heart and the magic of love together are a very potent combination, and I see no reason that they would not have been able to grant new life to a worthy pony."

"Shall we eat, then?" Cadence asks; her calm face now restored. She gestures at the food.

"Oh, you were having supper together?" Luna blushes slightly. "Forgive me for interrupting, I just-"

Cadence shakes her head and smiles. "It's no trouble at all, Auntie Luna. Shining and I are always happy to have you visit us! Aren't we?"

She could have timed it better, I think.

"Of course we are," I say aloud, wrapping a hoof around my wife's shoulder. She lays her head against me.

"Fantastic! I will admit I am somewhat famished from the long journey north. If you will have me for a dinner guest…"

"Of course!" Cadence answers with a smile.

* * *

Cadence

As we lay in bed that night, exhausted and sweating after several rounds of… intimacy, my giddiness for this blessed day is disrupted by the last sound that I thought would ever do so: my husband's voice.

"Honey?" he says, between heavy breaths. "I'm sorry."

"What?!" I look at him, alarmed. "For what?"

"I've been so busy enjoying today… I completely forgot about what I was doing… before…" he shakes his head.

"You mean…" I think back to that horrible moment when I almost crushed his soul, for trying to help me. "Your… investigation?"

He nods, slowly. "I shouldn't have let myself… stop today. Now we're on even footing, will you tell me what's wrong? I can… help you now."

I smile ruefully. Typical Shiny. A once in a lifetime event has just boosted him to greater power than most ponies can even dream of, and the day isn't even before he's thinking about how he can use it to protect me. His selfless devotion is charming, especially compared to how selfishly I imprisoned him for centuries. I couldn't ask for a more loyal stallion. But I still can't tell him the truth.

The truth. It grips my gut like an icy talon, stealing the warmth and joy I was feeling. I have what I want… but I'm still compelled to surrender any of our offspring to my murderous aunt. Every single time we've coupled… I might well have already been fertilized. I fight back the urge to sob and beg forgiveness for selling my husband's future foals to a monster, but just barely.

Shining picks up on my distress anyway. "Cady?" he asks, softly. "What's wrong? Did I say something? Do you not want to talk about it? Do-"

I cover his mouth gently with a hoof to stop him talking.

"Shiny," I ask, slowly. "Do you trust me?"

He nods, and I put my hoof back down again.

"You say that I'm the most talented mare you know. Do you truly believe that?"

"Of course," he says, looking confused. "Cadence, what's this all about?"

"If you trust me," I say, fighting to keep melancholy out of my tone. "Then believe me when I say I can handle this on my own. Please, for my sake, leave this be."

Shining doesn't even know how to fly yet, much less how to properly wield the magic boost his new body gives him. He's still far too weak to have a hope of matching the oldest and strongest alicorn in existence. I can't risk him finding out. And, if I'm entirely honest, I can't bear to hear what he would say if he knew that I gave away our very foals for his sake. He would leave me, I know it. And I can't endure that. So he must never know.

"Cadence, I can't just-"

"_Please_," I beg him, my eyes watering. "Just let this be, and I will take care of it. You can help me most by being happy and forgetting all about it."

He stares into my eyes for several minutes in silence, worry writ large all over his face and soul. He pulls me close, stroking my mane tenderly while I barely hold back tears of guilt. This wonderful, selfless husband of mine has no idea what an evil witch his wife is, and I can't ever tell him. And I'm playing my last card, the same weapon I used to hold him captive in crystal for centuries: my sadness.

At last, he lets me go and looks into my teary eyes again. I look at my hooves, feeling unworthy to meet his gaze. "If it means that much to you," Shining Armor sighs. "I will leave it alone. Just look into my eyes and promise me that you'll be alright if I do. Promise me."

Gathering all my courage, I look into his eyes and lie to him. "I promise."

I won't be fine, and I know it. My children and his will be taken from us and subjected to who knows what kinds of horror. All because of their mother, and her selfish ways. But to tell Shining would be to destroy him, be it physically or mentally, and that I could never bear. So I'll lie to him, and bear the guilt, for all eternity. Shining Armor deserves a happy life after what he's been through, and he'll never be happy unless he thinks I am. So I'll smile and be the best wife I can be, and content myself with him, though it's more than I deserve.

As we lie down to sleep together, my thoughts churn. These last few years have turned the world I thought I knew on its head. Aunt Celestia, who raised me, whom I looked up to, betrayed me and extorted a deep and ongoing price to spare my husband's life. King Sombra, whom I loathed for a monstrous tyrant, gave me the most important help I've ever had in return for nothing more than simply planting an odd violet flower atop his grave. What has the world come to?


	16. Chapter 16

Celestia

"This is outrageous!" snarls Speaker Etton at me, teeth gritted inside his beak. "What you are proposing amounts to little more than glorified highway robbery!"

"I suggest you take another look, honored Speaker," I reply, keeping my tone level and patient. "I think you will find this proposal – which I will remind you is nothing but a suggestion at this stage – to have some merit. As other plans to split nature's bounty between your nations have failed to gain traction, I simply have suggested one possible alternative for your consideration."

It has been five days since I received the news of my adoptive niece's success. I long to go and see for myself the results of her work, but my other duties keep me here. The effort to preserve fragile mortal lives must precedence over my personal wants, and in any case Shining Armor is far more likely to keep than the peace between these two nations.

"What you are _proposing_," continues Etton angrily. "Is that the whole of the isles go to another nation, and we should receive economic compensation for a share of all resources extracted from it – the value of which should be determined by a "neutral party", for which you conveniently volunteer yourself."

"I simply suggested that course based on the fact that both of your governments chose to invite me to oversee this conference. If the Speaker has another such party in mind that both parties," I nod at the gryphons, and the Prench delegates across from them, each seated around twin semicircular tables with myself on a chair in between, "can agree to, I would be more than happy to offer any assistance that I can to aid in convincing them to oversee this role."

I am not lying. While it is true that I would certainly like such a position as arbiter of value and the consequent influence over the economies of the Gryphus Empire and Prance alike – I can always use more cards in my hoof – I am hardly wedded to the idea. In any event, the long-term importance of this conference has dropped dramatically in my view, leaving the prevention of war as the most important issue. The gathering of influence over mortal nations now has much less value to me.

Unfortunately, the good Speaker seems quite determined to shoot down every proposal I make, and then some. This is the eighth suggested plan for a split from the start, and all of them he has opposed most bitterly. Even a perfectly even fifty-fifty split of all the gems mined he opposed, on the grounds that the Prench had nowhere near a valid enough claim to justify such a division of spoils. I confess that I'm actually starting to feel something more akin to true irritation rather than the disappointment of a caring mother to a misbehaving foal. I should work to control my temper, I think.

"Yes, I'm sure you would be very happy to hand-pick the being who controls a substantial chunk of monetary flow in to the Empire, wouldn't you, you-"

Before he can insult me officially, Emperor Serath interrupts, speaking the gryphon's native tongue rather than the Equestrian that is most commonly used for international communication. Fortunately, I happen to be fluent in that as well.

"You are overstepping your bounds, Speaker," the Emperor says. "Opposing specific settlements is one thing, but openly insulting our guest is another. Control your tongue, or I _will_ be forced have you removed from this conference to preserve our honor."

"Your majesty, this pony princess is clearly trying to cheat us and give herself and the Prench the greater portion of the bounty! She favors her own kind, just as I said she would. We must not allow ourselves to be played for fools by-" Etton answers, also in Gryphon, but is cut off by his liege.

"We have discussed this already! Cease embarrassing our nation by appearing the snarling oppositionist! Disagreeing with courses of action is your right, but it is not your place to make us look like squabbling chicks in public. Come to me with your concerns, again, after this is through. Do not violate our unity in public again. Is that understood?"

"Yes, your majesty," he replies, again in the predators' native speech.

I know for a fact that only two of the eight Prench delegates, including their Premier, actually understand more than a few words of it. But they must enjoy their rivals bickering in public all the same.

"Of course," I continue, in Equestrian, once the Speaker has settled himself again. "If it were more acceptable to both parties that the islands should go to the Gryphus Empire, and Prance receive compensation, I would again be more than happy to-"

"Never!" I'm interrupted, this time by Prench Premier Radient Light, a blue-white unicorn with a greying mane and mustache. "We are the rightful owners of the isles, paid for in full by our hard-earned money! We will not accept any solution where we are pushed off of our territory!"

For all that I harp on the Speaker of the Imperial Senate, the Premier of Prance is almost as bad. A very belligerent nationalist, as I'd feared from the profile on him that my spies assembled for me. Worst of all is that fact that, from all I can tell, he appears to sincerely believe what he says. None of the usual inducements – money, political backing, sex – that have been offered by my agents have drawn his attentions as of yet. If only this negotiation had taken place a few years earlier – his predecessor was a much more compromising (and influence-able) figure. Regrettably, she was replaced in the last election, as more nationalist currents in the electorate gathered steam.

Republicanism. Is there any worse system of governance than that which gives the pony on the street – who knows little of and cares even less for politics – total control over who is in government? Nobles and kings and even tyrants are at least somewhat predictable, but the sentiments that can sweep the herd in mere weeks sometimes confound even my predictions. And leaders must answer to them on a regular basis, giving rise to a truly perverse set of incentives.

For even if Premier Light himself does not believe in nationalistic rhetoric, he has every reason to play along with it anyway: those who do are his base, and are unlikely to desert him even in war, if it does not affect them personally. And such a war would most likely be conducted far from the Prench mainland, no matter the outcome. If Light is like most leaders, the continuance of his political career is of far greater import to him than the lives of a few thousand soldiers. And so, he has good reason to oppose commonsense peace, if he thinks it will make him more electable.

The utter stupidity of allowing democratic politics without the firm hoof of an absolute, eternal ruler to manage its passions should be easy for anypony to see.

"_Your_ territory?!" Speaker Etton speaks up indignantly. "Those islands are the rightful claim of the Gryphus Empire, dating back for thousands of years! _You_ are the interlopers!"

The one thing I can say in the Premier's favor as a shouting match descends on our conference yet again is that he doesn't appear to be utterly opposed to my mediation – merely to anything that would make Prance look anything less than glorious. With Speaker Etton, I cannot be so generous. He does not want me here, and has political clout in the Empire to keep his seat at the negotiating table regardless of the Emperor's wishes. I can't help but feel that it would be much easier to save lives were he to no longer be in a position to interfere.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes and sigh as the two sides yell past each other and ignore my pleas for calm. Once again, the folly of mortal leadership is made plain.

* * *

Twilight Sparkle

I trot slowly through the rocky cavern with all eight of my observers trailing behind, my horn aglow to provide our party with illumination. Simultaneously, I'm furiously writing down everything I observe about the crystalline formations around us, along with the surrounding bedrock, in addition to indulging in a little hypothesizing. I'll admit that I've found a puzzle, and my instincts are to keep going until I solve it.

To put it bluntly, from what I've found in my investigations so far, these things don't make any sense. The mineral composition of the surrounding rock is all wrong for forming these sorts of gem. In addition, the rocks of the Senadas are almost entirely igneous and do not seem to date back particularly long in geological terms, while the gems I've examined thus far are primarily metamorphic. This, in and of itself, is not particularly cause for more than a raised eyebrow, but from the mineral composition of the bedrock, I've been able to reliably conclude that the magma that formed these isles was ultramafic. That is, it had very low silica content. However, the gems I've examined have almost exclusively been silicates, including zircon, zoisite, titanite, enstatite, scapolite, pyrope, and sphalerite. This is very unusual, particularly as many of the impurities that allow the gorgeous crystalline structures around me to form do not exist in any substantial amounts in the surrounding bedrock. And magic doesn't explain it, as magic gathers in crystals after their formation, and it doesn't tend to transmute them in such a manner. Certainly not on such a large scale.

To put it simply: these things don't look like they should be here. Yet here they are.

While my mission is supposed to entirely consist of getting an accurate read of the Senadas' bounty for Princess Celestia's conference, I confess that once you give me a mystery, I feel bound to solve it. Science demands it!

So, anyway, my observations on the growths around me continue to baffle my mind. All sorts of gems, precious and semiprecious, have taken shape around me. But there are so many different kinds of silicate, in such close proximity, that I don't quite understand how they would have all formed like this in a silica-poor environment. The formations are quite prominent, often sticking out of the walls in their apparent eagerness to be seen by anypony walking through here.

Don't be ridiculous, Twilight, rocks can't be eager to be seen. Don't personify nonsentient formations of mineral, it's unscientific. I mean, sure, crystals can be grown for display, but that's only in the Crystal Empire, and…

Wait… crystals can be grown for display…

I recall a quote from a rather famous novel, "When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

Is it possible? Would somepony have somehow caused these things to sprout up in a rock in the middle of the ocean? But how? And why? Such a thing would make no sense, and the sheer magical power required… Maybe it was Discord? He hasn't been around in a while, and this doesn't seem his style after his reformation, but maybe it's a remnant of his earlier antics? Like the plunderseeds in the Everfree Forest?

Hmmm…

I've only done rudimentary scans of the magic in these things so far, mostly to determine the average power level contained within. But maybe, if I looked deeper into the origins of this magic, I could see something about the origins of it. Oooh, how exciting!

I decide not to wait to return to my improvised laboratory aboard my boat. There are quite a few large formations that I can examine in the heart of their native environment right here, after all, and I'm more than practiced enough to do so. I choose a large, deep green crystal poking out of the wall for my target of study.

Walking up to it, I close my eyes and tap into my magic. The material world fades from view as the sight of the Aether replaces it. The flow of magic through the natural world surrounds me. I can see the energies of the earth – appearing to my mind's eye as flowing brown streams of magic – flowing through the surrounding rocks, concentrating themselves in the crystal formations. It would look normal, if it the magic wasn't pooling so thickly in spots I recognize as corresponding to the gems I could see in the real world.

My aetherial self, taking the rough form of an alicorn of blindingly bright violet magic, slowly reaches her hooves out to the closest of the magical pools. Slowly, carefully, I part the energies of the crystal, seeking for the source, the cause of the attraction that is causing these gems to swell with so much power.

Layer after layer of brown magic is carefully peeled away. As before, time in this realm is flexible and not always corresponding exactly to real time, so I'm not entirely certain how long I've been at it for. But even in the Aether, I can tell that a considerable amount of time is passing as I take this pool apart like a liquid onion. Currents of earth magic flow this way and that throughout the gem, and I set them aside one by one.

At last, I pull another strand of brown magic aside, and gaze in on what should be the core. It's… more brown earth magic. A wave of disappointment crashes over me. That's quite a boring answer, and…

Wait.

That's not sensible. Like attracts like in free-flowing magic, yes, but not this powerfully. I glance around at the currents of earth magic flowing through the bedrock. They're thin, and not particularly strong. They wouldn't exert a pull this powerful on their own. Something else must be drawing magic into these crystals.

I reexamine the core, peering over it again and again. Nothing… Nothing… Nothing… Nothing… Nothing…. This is frustrating….

There!

On my twelfth recheck, I spot something. For just the slightest second, a tiny strand of red is visible amongst the flowing brown. It's not something most would notice, but I would. I calculate the flow of the current in my head, guess where the red should be, and plunge my purple hooves in.

Gotcha!

I pull a squirming current of red magic from the gem's pool. It seems to be actively resisting my pull, tugging back towards the place where it came from. For such a thin current, it's very strong, and most ponies wouldn't be able to keep a hold of it. But, not to be immodest, I'm one of the greatest spellcasters of all time, and I have the strength to force it to hold still while I examine it.

Now, my elusive little friend, let's see what you are…

Identifying this takes me less than an instant. I gasp aloud, releasing the current in my shock. The current squirms itself back into the pool of earth magic, but I cease to care, returning my mind to the material world in my haste to report my discovery.

When I open my eyes, I find that the Gryphus and Prench delegates have occupied themselves in various manners, from pacing the cave to admiring the gems to resting against a rock.

"Dark magic," I whisper aloud, panting with the exertions of my last actions. "Did you all hear me?!" I raise my voice and half shout at the delegates around me. "These things are the result of _dark magic_!" And that stuff isn't natural. It wouldn't show up here on its own. "Somepony _made_ them!"

The gryphons and ponies glance at one another and… laugh?

The first to snicker is a pink-coated, blue-maned, golden-eyed Prench unicorn, who I recall is named Rosebud. She chuckles aloud, at first covering her mouth but rapidly giving up all efforts to do so. The laughter spreads from pony to pony, and from pony to gryphon, and soon everypony is laughing at me.

I'm flabbergasted. What is _wrong_ with these folks? Didn't they hear what I just said?

"Did you all not just listen to what I said?!" I demand of them. "These crystals are the creations of dark magic! They're artificial! Somepony put them here, and I'm betting they wanted them to be found! Both of your countries are in danger!"

The chuckling continues, and I put a hoof over my face. Are these ponies stupid or just deaf or what? We need to warn-

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Rosebud's voice.

"Right you are, _princess_."

Huh?

I remove the hoof from my face, and look at the grinning pony who just spoke, meeting her gold eyes head on.

But her eyes aren't gold anymore.

They're green.

* * *

AN: Guys? I'd appreciate some commentary.


	17. Chapter 17

Twilight Sparkle

My jaw drops. It couldn't be. They're extinct. Those that remained after Canterlot destroyed themselves in a civil war to claim the dead queen's mantle. I've been through the weathered ruins of their hives. I've personally seen Queen Chrysalis' sun-bleached body, recovered from where it fell in a crater in the badlands.

But it is.

The eight figures around me are enveloped in a sudden green fire. When it vanishes, I recognize in place of four ponies and four gryphons seven changeling drones and the larger, more obviously feminine silhouette of a changeling queen. The latter has the black chitin coat, long legs riddled with holes, ragged insect wings, semitransparent blue mane, green eyes, and long, pointed horn that mark her out as a royal amongst her kind.

I take a step backwards and swallow. "Chrysalis?" I ask, too stunned to think of anything else.

The queen narrows her eyes, as if the name angers her. "Not quite," she lifts a hoof to her own chest. "Though I'm surprised you could mistake me for my mother, considering that you all **murdered her!**" The queen bares a mouth full of pointed teeth.

It's the tone of apparently sincere outrage that motivates my next words. After all that Chrysalis did, from brainwashing and feeding on my brother to leaving Cadence to starve to death in the Canterlot Caves to invading Equestria unprovoked, her daughter has the nerve to be angry with _us_ that she died of the fall?! She died because her own actions, we only ever defended ourselves.

"Queen Chrysalis died because she attacked us without provocation," I respond, my voice hard. "We would have made peace had she been willing. As princess of Equestria, I now extend the same offer to you. Stand down and cease whatever scheme you have created, and I am sure we can find a way to live in harmony. Refuse, and I will have no choice but to defend myself." I don't expect her to accept, but as Princess of Friendship I would be remiss if I didn't try to at least give her a chance.

"Make peace? With _prey_?! Hah!" She laughs, sounding remarkably like her mother. "When we are so close to our greatest triumph? I think not. Soon we will have our revenge _and_ more love than we could ever need, and we'll have no need to treat with my mother's murderers."

I narrow my eyes. "Very well." I activate a spell to take me out of this place. If they've revealed themselves, logic says they must have at least some plan to defeat me, and in any case I'd much rather warn Princess Celestia than fight. With a flash of lavender, I vanish.

Or, at least I should have.

The spell fizzles on my horn, and I stay right where I am.

The changelings, led by the queen, snicker at my surprised expression. "What's the matter, princess? Your little tricks not working today? Tsk tsk. Such a shame."

"What did you do?" I demand, already trying to determine what just happened. I didn't see any of the chitinous pseudo-equines cast a spell. So this place must have already been warded against teleportation.

The changeling queen laughs again, as the drones begin to spread out to encircle me. I back up a few steps, until my tail hits the wall. I'm already outnumbered and on enemy territory, I don't need anypony stabbing me in the back. The queen advances directly towards me, grinning broadly. She's now between me and the way out.

"Answer me!" I shout, though not yet in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

She shakes her head and smirks. "Now now, Twilight, didn't Celestia teach you manners? That's no way for a mere princess to address a queen." Her horn, straight and full of holes, begins to glow with a light green.

In response, I activate my own magic and call a spherical, purple barrier into existence between myself and the surrounding bugs. "You're no queen," I answer. "A queen must earn the loyalty of her subjects and seek their good above her own. You're just another tyrannical pretender leading whatever's left of your people to their doom." I address the drones. "Please, you all must see that your queen is mad! She is taking you down the same road to war that saw your society crumble and your last ruler perish! Abandon her, and I swear to you that I will personally find a place for you in Equestria and ensure that you are granted amnesty for whatever she's had you do, no matter how long it takes!"

The drones look to each other, then to their queen, and then back at me again. They bare their fangs menacingly at me, as one.

"Please! Think about what you're doing!" If they attack me, they're likely to die in the effort, and I don't want any bloodshed that can be avoided. "Do any of you truly believe that this will end any better for your people than last time? Leave her, and I promise you refuge. But if you attack me," I set my face in a determined look. "I _will _defend myself."

The queen laughs again. "Do you really think that will work? My children are far too clever to side with a relic of an age that is about to end against their own flesh and blood! No," she shakes her head. "The changeling people know their ruler, and that ruler is Queen Ecdysis! Not some pitiful pony princess!"

Ecdysis: the act of molting or shedding an outer cuticular layer in many species of invertebrate. Apparently bug-themed names run in the family.

I shake my head sadly, but put on a firm expression. "Even if you best me here, you will not prevail, any more than did your mother." I'll admit that I'm a little afraid, but I've faced more frightening monsters than this one. "But you won't win here, so the point is moot."

"Enough talk!" Queen Ecdysis shouts, lowering her horn and unleashing a blast of green magic directly at me.

I return fire with a beam of my own magic. Green and lavender collide in between the two of us, and for just a moment are at perfect equilibrium. Then, slowly but surely, the purple magic begins to beat back the green, and the point of contact creeps closer and closer to the queen's head. I grin.

"What are you all waiting for?!" the straining queen shrieks. "Attack her!"

The remaining seven changelings fire up their horns, and seven smaller blasts of green magic come hurling my way. I break off the contest with Ecdysis to reinforce my shield, as eight beams strike it as one. There's an explosion upon contact, and through sheer kinetic force I'm hurled backwards into the rock wall, hard, and I feel one of the crystals shattering against my back. But my shield doesn't break. There's a bit of pain, and I think my skin might be broken at one point, but the actual damage is minimal. I can already feel the tiny wound in my flesh knitting itself.

I get back to my hooves in an instant, shaking off the dust covering my coat. While the smoke in front of me clears, I stand at my full height, flare my wings wide, and my eyes glow a solid white.

"**CHANGELINGS!**" my Royal Canterlot Voice booms out, echoing painfully in the confined cavern space. "**YOU CANNOT WIN HERE! THIS IS YOUR LAST OPPORTUNITY TO SURRENDER, OR ELSE I WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO DEFEAT YOU!**"

Some ponies would think that offering the enemy one more chance to give up after they've already attacked me is stupid, but I disagree. Friendship is a powerful force, such that even Discord could not resist its lure in the end. And these insects are hardly on his scale – Chrysalis could only defeat Celestia because the latter held back to spare her subjects, and because of the strength of my brother's love for Cadence. Her daughter doesn't have that, and I've grown very strong. After experiencing the limits of Queen Ecdysis and her minions' combined strength, I'm confident in victory. But I would still prefer to avoid bloodshed, if at all possible.

"_NEVER!_" screeches the queen, pointing a hoof at me. "Get her!"

With far more loyalty than sense, the seven launch themselves at me, wings buzzing and a magical green shield appearing around their heads.

Very well then.

I concentrate, building energy and weaving my spell over the scant seconds it takes the queen's minions to get near me. When they're almost upon my barrier, it suddenly expands. Each and every changeling is hurled away from me with great force as my lavender sphere swells to envelope dozens of feet of ground. I've never been as proficient at shielding spells as my brother, but I'm no slouch.

Seven changelings are smashed against my magic like bugs on a window shield, and are carried backwards until they impact against the opposite bedrock wall of this cave. I can hear the sickening crunch of chitin cracking against stone. I hope that I didn't just kill anypony, even if they did attack me first.

Alone among my opponents, Queen Ecdysis is able to stand firm in the face of my spell. Her eyes screwed tight and her teeth gritted, she holds her position and forces her way through my attack when the barrier sweeps over her. She is, however, pushed back several feet by the forces involved, and looks somewhat strained.

I don't waste any more time calling for her surrender, opting instead to follow up by conjuring numerous tendrils of violet magic from the floor and sending them straight at the changeling queen. They spread out to wrap themselves around her and bind her for me, but Queen Ecdysis conjures another beam of green energy that severs the tendrils near their roots, disrupting the spell and causing the attack to fizzle out harmlessly before touching her. No matter. She's starting to breathe hard, and I'm not.

I fire another blast of energy at the queen, which she dodges by flittering her ragged wings and taking to the air. The room for aerial maneuver in these tight quarters is limited, but I don't intend to allow her even a chance to do so. I flap my own wings in broad, powerful strokes, calling on the pegasus magic within me to stir up the stagnant cavern air into a powerful wind capable of blowing Ecdysis away like a leaf in a storm. A localized air current with all the force of a light hurricane hurdles at the changeling.

Queen Ecdysis hurriedly wraps herself in a bubble of deep green energy, meeting my attack head on. The force of it is enough to push her back some way, but her magic does its job and my wind does little damage. But when it's gone, the queen is openly panting, while I'm just barely starting to sweat. She's weaker than I thought – she must not have been feeding well recently. No surprise, if she's been keeping to the shadows and impersonating staff at a hostile international conference. Somehow, I can't find too much sympathy for her plight. She's brought it down on herself.

Like mother, like daughter, I suppose.

"Care to give up?" I ask, extending a hoof of mercy yet again, as Princess Celestia taught. "I'm still willing to accept your surrender."

Ecdysis sets herself down on the cave floor, still looking winded, but her gritted teeth and hateful expression answer my question for me.

"As you wish then," I fire another violet beam of magic at her. The queen dodges gracelessly, throwing herself to the side and stumbling over a crystal outgrowth on the floor. Before she can recover, I seize her in telekinesis and pin her against the nearest wall. Ecdysis struggles furiously, but can't break my hold on her body.

I approach her cautiously. "You _lose_," I declare authoritatively. "Whatever plan you had is finished. Come quietly and I will still promise you greater leniency than you will otherwise receive-"

I'm interrupted by the changeling. "**Enough of this!**" Queen Ecdysis roars, lighting her horn up with magic again, even in my magical grip. I raise my shield again, but she fires upwards, at… the ceiling?

No, her magic hit one of the crystals, and it's… glowing?

But not green, like the queen's magic. The crystal on the ceiling is glowing red. In fact… I catch something in the periphery of my vision. Some of the other crystals are starting to glow red as well. No, not some of them. _All_ of them.

Uh oh.

Before I can reinforce my magical barrier, each and every one of the crystals that surrounds us discharges a thin stream of red magic directly at me. That wouldn't be so bad, except that there hundreds of them. My defenses are overwhelmed in less than a heartbeat, and I'm hit directly.

Agony wracks my body as the magic courses through it. All my appendages stand on edge as my nerves go haywire, ignoring my mental commands to do something. My mouth opens to scream, but no sound comes out. I feel like my insides are fire. My coat and mane are actually on fire. Inside me, bones snap, tendons break, muscles strain themselves to bursting. Blood literally boils inside my arteries under the assault of dark magic. The rest of the world vanishes, irrelevant next to the white-hot agony engulfing the totality of my mind.

I don't know how long it lasts. Time ceases to have meaning, my brain fully occupied with the task of trying to perceive just how much pain that I am in. And then the magic reaches all the way in there as well, killing off the pain receptors and leaving me curiously numb as just about every component in my anatomy that is capable of being damaged is so afflicted.

With no warning, the storm is over, and I collapse limply to the ground like a puppet with her strings cut. I can't feel much of anything, but my vision gradually returns. I can see that my legs are twisted underneath me at unnatural angles, which would have broken them on their own if they weren't already shattered by the surge of dark magic. My lavender coat has been burnt off, and much of my skin is black or red with burns. My carefully preened feathers, naturally, are also gone.

A hoof reaches under my chin and pulls my head upwards. I look where directed, to see… myself, as I was not long ago, grinning down at me with a triumphant smirk on her face. Gods, I hope I don't really look that malicious when I smile.

"Now, what was that about accepting my surrender?" Queen Ecdysis – or so I presume, my rational mind tells me that it could just as easily be any of her minions that survive – says mockingly.

I won't rise to the bait. My lungs and throat are incredibly damaged, but already the magic that's kept me alive despite these fatal injuries has done a bit of repair work. With effort, I can force out a few words.

"Had to cheat… beat me… I am… youngest alicorn… Celestia…." Talking isn't easy, but I manage.

"Oh, don't you worry about your pretty little sun princess. We have plans to deal with her."

Of course they do. How successful these will be remains to be-

Wait.

"We?" I ask, my insatiable curiosity urging me on even now.

Ecdysis' smile grows wider. "Yes, we. Another old friend of yours, you might say. In fact," her eyes shift momentarily, looking at something that's behind my limp form. "It would seem that he's eager to see you again."

Huh? Who's eager to see me? Old friend? Don't tell me Discord has gone bad again.

My question is answered and a thousand others are raised when a second figure steps into my field of vision. His body is smoky and the outline is inconsistent, but I still recognize the one before me instantaneously. But that can't be right. Can it?

Why not? The changelings were supposed to be gone as well.

"Sombra…"


	18. Chapter 18

Celestia

I rise to my hooves as my old student enters my guest chambers in Ostflugel, a smile on her face.

"Princess Celestia!" says Twilight Sparkle, her eyes alight with the endearing adoration that a filly shows her mother. Some things never change, which I find quite comforting.

The warm smile I give her is, for once, completely genuine. "Now, you know that there is no need to be so formal with me, _Princess_ Twilight," I remind her as we hug.

"I know, I know," she scratches the back of her head awkwardly. "But, you know, old habits die hard and all that."

"Indeed they do," I smile again. "But I am certain that you can overcome this small problem with a little more time. You are Twilight Sparkle, one of the most talented mares that I have ever had the privilege to know."

She blushes at me praise, smiling up at me. Ah, still so young, so trusting. What would she think of me if she knew of everything I've ever done? Hopefully, that is a question that I will never have to answer. I've worked hard to preserve her innocence for all this time, as it has always been a trait I find desirable in my little ponies. If I get my wish, she will never have to face the cruelest realities of rule. I should hope I don't grow as attached to my future grandnieces and nephews. I don't think I could bear to send a pony like Twilight out into the world to usurp a nation. A flaw, I know – a ruler should always be ready to do anything and everything for her subjects' well-being.

We hold our hug for a few more seconds before I release her and sit down on a sofa, bidding her to do the same. She sits down across from me, and I pick up my tea cup.

"I know that you've had a long journey," I say, taking a small sip. "Would you care for anything? Tea? Cocoa?" I give a knowing smile. "A hayburger? I made certain that they are available even here."

"No thank you," she shakes her head. "I'm not hungry right now."

"You didn't miss any meals on my behalf, I hope? I know that this was a demanding task to suddenly spring on you…"

"Oh no, it was fine! I'm always happy to do my part!"

What a giving spirit. Would that all ponies had such an attitude towards duty.

"Still, I must apologize for eating up so much of your valuable time," I take another sip of tea, remembering with distaste the frustrating lead up to my request. "If there had been anypony else that they would have believed, anypony at all…" I shake my head. "Both sides were so worried about the potential political alignment of the geologist that they could agree nothing short of an alicorn princess. And of us all, I knew that you would be the best suited."

Twilight blushes again. "Really, Prin- Celestia, it was no trouble at all! I was helping to save lives, and I'm always available if you need me."

"Now, I believe that you have a report for us?"

Twilight nods, reaching into her saddle bag with magic and pulling out a binder, which she promptly levitates over to me.

I open it to find a well-ordered, sixty-page report on the geology of the Senadas, complete with table of contents, diagrams, and footnotes. That's my old student, alright. I smile nostalgically while I flip through it and enjoy a little more of my tea. When my eyes fall on certain figures, however, I have to resist the sudden urge to spew my drink all over this research.

"Twilight," I ask, after being certain that I have swallowed my tea. "Are you sure these estimates are accurate?" I turn the binder to show her what I am speaking of.

She frowns and looks worried. "I calculated them to within 96.3% probability of falling within the standard deviation noted." Her worried expression grows. "Did I do something wrong? Is there a mistake?! Did I make some mathematical error?! Lives are at stake! Oh no, this is horrible, I have to-"

"Twilight," I cut her off before she can work herself into a frenzy. "You have not made any errors in your calculations that I can see. It is just that…" I pause to word it carefully. "These estimates of the total magical gem deposits are larger than I was expecting."

That's understating it. If Twilight's report is to be believed, the Senadas have more than _triple_ the amount of magical gemstone deposits than my servants' most generous projections suggested. But of course she's right. This is Twilight – she is far more studied and talented anypony else I know, and I do not lie when I say that I have total faith in her abilities. I shall have to have words with the geologists in my employ. Perhaps I will even need to clean out that department somewhat, if they failed me this utterly.

I dismiss the idea of putting a hoof over my face, but I do sigh. This is just grand. If everypony was on edge before, negotiating a peaceful solution will be a nightmare now that the prize has been shown to be that much more valuable to whoever claims it. The temptation to out and out seize the isles will be that much the greater.

Twilight still looks worried. "Is this not what you wanted, Celestia?"

I shake my head. "No, Twilight. You did well. I simply wish that things were not as they are."

"Oh…" she hangs her head, looking a bit sad.

"Each delegation has already reviewed and received a copy of this report, correct?" I ask, just to be certain.

Twilight nods her confirmation. "They did. They were very insistent on it."

I sigh again. Wonderful. I thought that they would. So I can't even consider trying to change some of the numbers to make outright conquest seem less appealing. I don't know if I would, with Twilight's reputation at stake, but not even having the option is something of an irritant.

"You think this will make them more likely to fight?" Twilight asks me after a moment of silence. "I was hoping that when they see how much there is to go around, they'd realize that they could split the isles comfortably and still each benefit greatly."

And this is why I try to take on all duties revolving around international politics. Outside of Equestria, things are not quite as peaceful and optimistic as they are at home. Friendship is magic, but there is a power to irrational pride and short-sighted greed as well. Not everything can be made better with kindness, at least so long as successive generations of egotists and fools hold the reigns of nations.

"Twilight," I say gently. "Know that you have done _nothing_ wrong. You have accomplished in mere days what it would take another pony months to do, without help. While things have not resolved quite as I had hoped, none of the blame for it lies with you." I walk over to where she sits and embrace my old pupil again, determined that she should not blame herself for anything that may happen in these next days. "I am proud of you, as I always have been."

Twilight sniffs and looks up at me. "Do you mean it, Princess?"

I stroke her mane. "Of course I do."

Twilight Sparkle smiles a little.

* * *

"Unacceptable!" Foreign Minister Morning Glory, the ranking member of the Prench delegation, beyond Premier Radiant Light, yells out, banging her hoof against the table. "Simply unacceptable! The ponies of Prance will _not_ cede one inch of our soil to a foreign aggressor!"

"Quite right!" comes the sound of the Premier himself.

"Aggressor?!" Speaker Etton sputters with outrage. "_You_ are the clear aggressor in this situation! Your claims on our isles clearly violate all accepted international norms regarding the governance and legal transfer of territory between-"

"Lies!" the mare snaps back, looking equally as fierce. Pity, I had hopes for her as one of the more level-headed members of her side. It seems as though the new bounty on display has, as I feared, riled up already enflamed passions. "Our government possesses full legal sovereignty over the isles by the terms of Treaty of Maresailles, as agreed to by-"

"A treasonous faction that _never_ possessed lawful jurisdiction over any of the Empire's territories to begin with! You have no case!" a female gryphon by the name of Cielda snarls over at the Prench.

I resist the urge to facehoof, for dignity is important for royalty.

Not that I am not tempted.

This is the _third_ shouting match that we have gotten into _this morning_! For the love of all the gods, can you squabbling children not calm yourselves for ten minutes so that we can find some common ground between you? This is something I would expect of foals, but you sorry bunch are supposed to be the leaders of your people! To put their wellbeing ahead of your ego-stroking! Does the prospect of gain really blind you so completely to how utterly senseless you are becoming?

"Ladies and gentlecolts, please-" I try to interject, only to be drowned out by the voices of almost two dozen other creatures, all spewing venom at one another.

Beside me, Twilight Sparkle is looking thoroughly dejected. She wished to come and see the results of her work for herself, and this is what it has gotten her. I tried to warn her away, but she was so eager… I couldn't say no in the end. And now she is looking miserable and becoming more so with every passing second. I hate to see the pony I care for more than almost anypony else in such pain. My instincts are to hug my old student comfortingly, followed shortly by breaking the necks of everypony in this room. This group should feel glad that I am no mindless animal, to follow every whim that I have.

But I am rapidly reaching my wit's end. My own emotions are irrelevant and can be sacrificed for the good of others, but hurting Twilight Sparkle in this manner… it simply will not do. I will not permit it to continue any longer.

Reaching deep inside myself, I call on my Royal Canterlot Voice.

"**SILENCE!**"

The sound of my voice is loud enough to send papers flying in every direction, force everypony to cease arguing in order to cover their ears, and even bowl over some of those closest. Even Twilight feels the need to fold her ears behind her head.

My command is obeyed, everypony in the room shutting their mouths and gazing up at me with various expressions of meekness, fear, awe, or hostility. Only the Emperor seems to be relatively indifferent.

"**ENOUGH OF THIS!**" I continue, still blasting at their eardrums. "**YOU ARE NEITHER CHICKS NOR FOALS, AND YOU WILL CEASE ACTING AS THOUGH YOU WERE!**"

Speaker Etton finds his voice again. "I will not be insulted by-"

"**YOU WILL BE SILENT!"**

Under that assault of noise, even he must back down, at least for some time.

"Now," I say, once I have everypony's total attention, allowing the deafening tone to slip away. "You have invited me here in good faith to mediate a peace between your nations. It is my full intention to do so. I wish for nothing more than that both of your nations should share in the bounty that nature offers you. But," I pause. "This requires that you are both willing to settle your differences reasonably, like adults. If all that you wish to do is shout at one another for the rest of your days, like errant children, then this conference is pointless and we should all go home. So, tell me," I stare hard into the eyes of each and every delegate across the room, my eyes blazing with the power of the sun. "Which is it?"

Everypony seems to be looking at their hooves. Premier Light tugs at his collar nervously. Morning Glory looks down at a sheet of papers in front of her, pretending to shuffle them. Emperor Serath puts a talon under his chin, scratching it in a thoughtful manner. Even Speaker Etton seems to have been somewhat muted by my display, for he looks away from me and into the eyes of a female gryphon named Scalia beside him. She turns her head to meet his, and I lose sight of her face from this angle.

"So," I continue after a time, allowing my conjured aura to fade away into nothingness, the glow of my eyes dimming into the usual violet. "I take it that your silence means that you are all willing to listen to reason and discuss this issue like-"

"NO!"

All eyes, including mine, swivel to focus on the source of the interruption. To my complete lack of surprise, it is Speaker Etton.

"No, I won't stand for it any longer!" He looks to Emperor Serath. "Your majesty, you see how this mare insults us?! Drags our name through the mud! And then has the _audacity_ to order us around – as a guest in _our_ city, no less – as though we were some of her pathetic, mewling, sycophantic-"

There's another interruption. This time it comes from the Prench MP Righteous Judgment, whom I recall was a member of the delegation that accompanied Twilight's geological study so recently..

"You will show Lady Celestia more respect, _bird_," he snarls in a surprisingly angry tone.

I think back through my files on these ponies… oh yes, he is member of Church of the Two Sisters in Prance, as I recall. Fervency runs in his family, according to my information.

"Your majesty!" Etton continues to Emperor Serath, half pleading and half raging. "You must see what is happening here! We-"

"_Enough_," the old gryphon Emperor speaks at last, to his Speaker. "I have had enough. You are endangering our chances for a peaceful solution to this crisis. I want you out, this instant!"

Thank you! I knew that I liked that gryphon.

Etton narrows his eyes. "So…" he says in a menacing tone. "Even our Emperor will not defend the honor of the Gryphus Empire against those _foreigners _who conspire to take it from us!" He stands up out of his chair. "Very well, _your majesty_, I shall leave. But be assured that the Imperial Senate _will_ be hearing about this act of treachery!"

Snarling, Speaker Etton moves to leave. Righteous Judgment, to my surprise, gets up and imposes himself between the gryphon and the door.

"You will not leave," the Prench pony says. "Not without an apology to Lady Celestia," he nods at me. "I will not permit you to dishonor her so."

"It is alright," I begin. "I do not require any such-"

"I am Speaker of the Imperial Senate of the Gryphus Empire! I will _not_ be ordered about by some filthy Prench alicorn ass-kisser!" Etton snaps back before I can finish my statement.

"You will apologize to the Goddess of the Sun on your knees, you _scheibe esser_!" Judgment's last words are in the tongue of the gryphons, all of whom gasp. That's a terribly serious insult in the honor-bound Imperial culture.

Speaker Etton stands still for half a second, quivering with rage. Then, before I get the chance to say anything else, he smacks the Prench pony hard across the face with his claw.

"Enough of this!" calls out Emperor Serath. "Guards! Break this up!"

Two armored gryphons move forward to obey their ruler's orders. But Righteous Judgment is quicker.

With a great cry, he smashes his hoof into the side of Speaker Etton's skull with such force that it sends the gryphon flying. His head impacts on the stone wall carved from the mountain, and the Speaker slumps slowly to the floor. Everypony can see the trail of red he leaves behind. My student gives a strangled gasp of horror.

Both guards hurriedly converge on the downed Speaker. Twilight vanishes from my side, reappearing above the gryphon's limp form. The Prench pony also takes a step forward, only to find himself enveloped in my magic. This has gone too far, and I have let these fools play at diplomacy for far too long.

Twilight invokes a healing spell with a panicked look on her face. A warm purple glow washes over Etton... and nothing happens. Tears start to fall from her eyes as she tries again and again, with the same results. One of the gryphon guards puts a talon on Etton's neck, checking his pulse. After a moment, she puts the same talon over his chest, where his heart would be. I doubt I am the only one who notices the conspicuous lack of breathing. "He's dead…" gasps the gryphon in question. She looks up, straight to her Emperor. "He's dead! The Speaker has been killed!"

"Murder!" screeches Scalia, the gryphoness who had been seated beside Speaker Etton. "Murder!" she points a talon at Righteous Judgment. "Arrest him!"

The guards look to Emperor Serath, who nods. They seize the immobile pony between them when I duly release my magical grip.

"Take him away," says the Emperor. "He must face justice for this."

"NO!" cries Morning Glory. "He is a duly registered diplomat of Prance and enjoys the full immunities thereof! You cannot arrest him!"

The guards hesitate in dragging their captive out the door, waiting to hear Emperor Serath's response. The old gryphon looks over to the middle-aged mare, and the somewhat older stallion beside her.

"Well?" he says.

Premier Radiant Light looks at his Foreign Minister's eyes for a moment, then faces the Emperor.

"Under the terms of diplomatic relations duly agreed to by both Prench and Imperial governments, neither side possesses the right to arrest, confine, or otherwise apply pressure to one another's diplomats," he says, somewhat cautiously.

"That's correct," says Serath. "But you can arrest him. You saw the crime with your own eyes. He must face due punishment for the murder of our Speaker, however much I disliked him. Honor demands it."

"What I saw," Light continues, "Was that your Speaker assaulted a representative of our Parliament for a petty insult, for which he defended himself."

"Whatever the Speaker's actions, your stallion clearly used disproportionate force that resulted directly in the death of a ranking member of our government." Serath shakes his head. "You know that such a crime cannot go unanswered." He sighs. "In accordance with my role as Protector of the Empire, I formally demand the arrest of Member of Parliament Righteous Judgment and his immediate extradition to the Gryphus Empire to await trial on charges of murder."

Light snorts. "Trial? You know as well as I what a farce such a thing would be here. I will not permit an official of our government to be put through some kangaroo court and slaughtered. He is a Prench citizen, and as such will be duly tried in a Prench court. You will have the opportunity to testify against him, if you should wish."

"Unacceptable," Serath says, staring harshly at his counterpart. "He killed our official, he will be tried here… or else."

Light meets the gryphon emperor's gaze head-on. "Or else what?"

"Gentlecolts, please," I say, trying to interject myself. "There is no need to resort to threats. That that pony must answer for his actions is clear to all of us, surely we can work out where he is to stand trial without compromising our chances of peace. Or do the lives of thousands of your own soldiers mean so little to you?"

"Or else," Serath continues, pointedly ignoring me. "I will have no choice but to declare war in his name. The Imperial Senate would never permit me to act otherwise."

"The sacred honor of Prance will not be impugned by surrendering one of our MPs to be killed by some foreign government!" Light declares resolutely. The Prench delegation around him cheers and applauds.

"Don't do this!" I plead. "You'll see thousands dead to avenge one!" I look Emperor Serath in the eyes. "Do you think war will bring him back?" I meet Radiant Light's eyes as well. "Is the location of a trial really worth the blood of so many of your land's sons and daughters?"

Again, the two ignore me.

"Then it is war," says Emperor Serath, in a completely flat tone.

"So it is," agrees Premier Radiant Light.

I face hoof.


	19. Chapter 19

Shining Armor

"Come on!" my wife encourages me. "You can do this! Broad beats, up and down! Come on!" her purple tipped wings flare wide in a display. "If I can do that, so can you!"

"Easy for you to say from all the way down there," I mutter under my breath.

Cadence's sensitive ear twitches. "_What_ was that, soldier?"

"Nothing, madam drill sergeant!"

Beating her long wings to take to the air, she easily ascends to where I'm struggling to control my flight path. I switch to the rapid wing beats needed for hovering, trying not to pitch forward again in the unfamiliar position.

"Are you saying that I'm lazy?" Cadence manages to sneak up on me while I'm concentrating on staying upright. "Are you accusing me of slacking off?"

"Ma'am, no ma'am!" I manage to snap off a salute, though I wobble in the air as my leg gets a bit too close to my wings and the two limbs collide. I just barely avoid plummeting to the ground while resynchronizing my wings.

"Then do you think I'm a bad teacher?" my wife circles me in the sky, making me feel remarkably like a fish being stalked by a shark. "Or maybe you think that I can't fly as well as you can. Is that it? Do you think that, private?!"

"Ma'am, no ma'am!" I answer again, with slightly more vigor this time.

"Where was your salute? I didn't see you salute your superior officer, soldier!"

I make another salute, this time managing to avoid my frantically beating wings. Cadence gives me a satisfied nod and, dropping the drill sergeant persona for a moment, a reassuring smile.

"You're doing great, honey," she whispers into my ear. "Now watch me and do what I do."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am!"

Cadence gives a slight giggle before her face goes stern again. With several powerful beats of her long wings, she ascends even further into the sky, nearing the lowest clouds. She hovers there for a moment, looks down at me, and gives a wink. Then she tucks her wings in and dives.

Cadence plummets towards the ground like a missile, and for half a second my heart leaps into my throat at the thought of her impacting. But she opens her wings again well above the green field beneath us. With long, slow beats she levels herself out before holding her wings wide and gliding through the air. Cadence glides in wide circles, gradually descending nearer and nearer the ground before her hooves hit dirt. She makes a running – or, rather, light trotting – landing, coming to a halt after a few long steps.

My wife looks up at me with a slight smirk on her face. "Your turn."

I swallow, but push myself upwards with several frantic beats of my wings. I'll admit I'm not as graceful as Cadence, but give a stallion a break. I've been at this for a few days. She's had hundreds of years to perfect her technique.

From the peak of my ascent, I too tuck in my wings and let gravity take hold. I plunge like a rock, cold wind whipping hard against my body. I can't hear anything above the rush of air in my ears, and I wonder how I'm supposed to judge when to open my wings. Real quick on the uptake, aren't you Shiny?

Buck it, I'd rather glide too long than crash.

I angle my dive and slowly force my wings back open again. The air whipping past me struggles to keep them pinned to my side, but thankfully I manage. With more strokes than are probably necessary, I pull out of the headlong descent and achieve something vaguely resembling a glide. Feeling somewhat proud of myself, I spare a glance at the ground below. Way, way, below. I'm far higher than Cadence was at this point.

Damn.

To add insult to injury, I think I can make out my wife's pink form covering her mouth with one hoof and shaking. Like she's giggling at me. My cheeks turn red as I realize I must look like more than a bit of scaredy-pony, breaking the fall so high off the ground.

Ok, I am not going be humiliated like this. With a snort, I fold my wings back in and take another plunge. Once again, the wind whips by and chills me through my coat while drowning out all sounds but itself. This time, I keep a careful eye on the ground, which grows larger and more detailed with each passing second. I want to get a bit closer before pulling off the landing.

Wait for it… wait for it…

I could swear I hear something faint in my ears, but when I adjust to listen better all I catch is more wind. Huh. Whatever.

Wait for it…

I jerk open my wings again not even a hundred feet above the field, again trying to angle my dive. I take a few wing beats and begin to glide and… why is the ground so close?

Oh sh-

And then I plow face first into the ground. Grass and topsoil fill my vision as my muzzle plunges into the earth, carving a small furrow into the soil as I keep going. The earth here isn't that soft, and quickly arrests the momentum of my face. The rest of me is not quite so lucky. My backside carries itself up and over the rest of me, slamming down hard onto the dirt.

I lie there for some time, in a bit of a daze. My white coat is covered in brown and my limbs are splayed out, but strangely I'm not feeling a lot of pain. My mind tells me that that _should_ have hurt a lot worse than it actually did, but I don't think it even broke the skin on my face. Really, I'm just feeling a little frazzled and somewhat irritated with myself.

"Shining? Are you alright?"

Oh, and embarrassed. Don't forget embarrassed.

My cheeks once again flush with blood, I scramble hurriedly back to my hooves at Cadence's approach, shaking myself a little to get rid of the worst of the dirt.

"Never better," I answer with a cocksure grin, to which she giggles.

"Then let's get you cleaned off," she says, flapping her wings in place. The gentle winter breeze is amplified to a bitter wind, but it quickly blows the bulk of the debris off of me, leaving my coat only slightly stained brown. Satisfied, Cadence tucks her wings back against her side. "Are you up for trying again?" she asks me.

"I could do this all day," I declare.

"Oh really?" she smirks. "Perhaps I've been going too easy on my soldier then."

"Try me."

"Oh I will. You can bet your last – Shining?" Cadence looks at my face, and then turns her head to follow the trail my eyes are taking.

Up in the sky are two winged shapes, clearly headed this way. As they grow closer, my eyes can pick out their colors: white with a rainbow mane, and lavender with a dark purple mane.

I grin widely and wave. Cadence's wings twitch slightly, but she does the same a moment later.

The two ponies glide gently to the ground, making a much better landing than I did.

"Hello," says Princess Celestia. "I do hope that we aren't interrupting."

* * *

Cadence

I bite back my first impulse – to snarl angrily and demand that the witch leave my kingdom – for the sake of the siblings Sparkle. Instead, I force a smile onto my muzzle and shake my head.

"Of course not, Auntie," I manage a distantly polite tone. My smile becomes at least somewhat genuine when Twilight bends her knees in our all-too-familiar greeting ritual:

"_Sunshine, Sunshine, _

_Ladybugs awake_

_Clap your hooves_

_And do a little shake!"_

We wiggle our rumps at one another and giggle foolishly. My smile is for just an instant entirely unforced. It's been far too long since we've done this, I think.

And then my happiness fades as I once again have eyes for my aunt. She's smiling down at us with that oh so perfect "benevolent princess" look on her face. When I was younger, that face was my comfort on more than a few occasions. Now it just looks like a hollow mockery to me, a pretty face to hide the ugliness inside.

I haven't forgotten what you've done to me, Celestia. You may have duped everypony else, but I see you for who you are.

"Twily!"

"BBBFF!" Twilight, with boundless enthusiasm, rushes to embrace her brother, bowling him back over into the dirt. The two hug warmly for a long moment, before he gives her mane a playful noogie and they laugh.

"It is good to see you, Cadence," Celestia's voice cuts in.

I'm forced to return my attentions to the eldest of our kind. "You too, Aunt Celestia."

She opens a leg invitingly. "Come here and give this old mare a hug."

I repress my urge to vomit and wrap my forelegs around my aunt. She does the same to me. Though her heart is ice, her body is warm, and her coat is soft. She smells faintly of rosemary and cinnamon, an odd but not unpleasant combination.

She rubs my back gently, and I'll admit that it feels nice. "You have done well, niece," she whispers into my left ear in the faintest of voices. "You should be proud."

And then I am released to stare up at the beautiful goddess of the sun. Once more, she smiles at me without a hint of malevolence. Once again, my stomach churns at the sight.

I tear my eyes from her to look at reunion of my favorite siblings in the world. Shining has managed to hoist Twilight off her hooves and is twirling her around like she was a filly, to which she is squealing happily. It's childish, but so many of life's simplest pleasures are. In any case, he sets her back down on the ground momentarily. I smile at the sight.

"Shining Armor," Auntie takes a few steps around me and towards the two. I fight the urge to interpose myself.

Shining gives his sister one more quick hug before pivoting on the spot to meet her gaze. The two are now about the same height, he having perhaps half an inch on her, at most.

"Celestia," his tone is far warmer than I would like.

"Please, accept my congratulations on your ascension," Celestia says in a motherly way. "And," to my surprise, she crosses a foreleg over her chest and bows her head. "Please accept my apologies."

"Apologies?" he raises an eyebrow. "For what?"

"For my attempts to convince you to move on," she sighs and looks guilty, keeping her head low but looking up at him with her purple eyes. "I feared that you endangered yourself and others by your continued existence on this plane. I worried that you were inadvertently hurting my niece. But now I know better."

"You do?"

She nods. "You could never have ascended were you undeserving. You have proven all my doubts about you wrong, cast away the dangers of your false form, and in the process shown yourself to be a worthy prince." Celestia smiles. "I could not think of a better co-ruler for the Crystal Empire than yourself."

He blushes slightly. "I don't know about that. Cadence did all-"

Celestia interrupts with a warm chuckle. "Of course she helped you. Did you think I had nothing to do with Twilight's ascension? That I did not do everything I could to facilitate it? I gave her what she needed. But in the end, it was she who earned it, as have you. The Crystal Heart would never have blessed the process if you had not."

"I see," he says, looking uncertain.

Shining still has some issues with self-confidence, but I'm certain that we can work those out. We have all the time in the world, after all.

"So, Shining Armor," Celestia bows her head again. "Will you please accept my apologies?" she looks up. "And my friendship?"

I want to scream out, to tell him that this is a trick. To tell him that she's a monster who almost killed him; that she's already set up provisions to rob our future cradle. But I can't do that, so there's nothing left for me but to silently plead that he'll see through it.

"Hmmm…" Shining taps a hoof on the bottom of his chin. Celestia looks at him with sorrowful eyes. "You only ever wanted the best for us, I know that. But you made a mistake."

"I am aware," she says. "And I am sorry."

He sighs. "You swear you won't try it again?"

"You have my word," she nods.

Shining smiles reassuringly. "Then how could I hold it against you? Gods know I've had my share of screw-ups over the years, but the ponies I love have always forgiven me. You always forgave me when I failed in my duties as Captain. How could I do anything else to you?"

"From the bottom of my heart, thank you," Celestia smiles, and the two white alicorns embrace one another.

Though my face is smiling, my heart is sinking.

* * *

The rest of the afternoon and evening seems to go by at a snail's pace. When I eventually resume trying to teach Shining how to fly, I can't help but get distracted by the continued presence of my aunt, and we wind up returning home for dinner earlier than I'd planned. Celestia takes the opportunity to ask if she can stay the night, and of course being a good little niece I have no real choice but to comply. Dinner winds up being a long and rather depressing discussion of the failed peace conference and political implications thereof. I can't even take pleasure in Celestia failing at something, because of the consequences of it. Living beings are going to die – have _already_ died – and it's only going to get worse before it gets better. She asks that if we should be in a position to help those widowed and orphaned by the conflict, might we do so? For once, I'm totally sincere in saying that we'll help her.

After our meal, the siblings Sparkle head off their own way, as do I. I'd like to be alone to stew in anger and guilt for a time, and perhaps indulge in revenge fantasies where nopony can see. Perhaps a walk through our greenhouse gardens will do.

Getting to the garden is no problem. I step inside and immediately feel the change on my skin. It may be chilly outside, but in here it's warm and wet. The plants are as green and leafy as they always are, and I can even see some flowers blooming. That purple moth orchid in particular is looking tasty. If I hadn't just eaten, I'd probably take a bite. As it is, I content myself with a sniff and move on.

"Cadence?"

Really? _Now_?! Does she have some compulsion to spoil everything I do?

At least when we're alone I don't have to pretend to be friendly.

"What?" I answer gruffly, without bothering to face my aunt. "What do you want?"

"I merely wish to offer you my sincere congratulations on your splendid success."

"Oooh yeah, 'Congratulations on completing the task I enslaved you to do'. Yeah, real wonderful. I feel _sooo_ much better now."

"You should be proud of yourself, Mi Amore Cadenza. I for one am very impressed."

"I don't give a damn."

Celestia is now at my right side, her stride easily matching mine. I turn my head in the opposite direction and stare at the plants as they go by.

She leans her head over and speaks softly into my ear. "Believe it or not, I am quite happy that any further bloodshed has been avoided," she sighs before continuing. "There is quite enough of that as it is."

I snort. "You mean that you're happy that I'm going to be your good little foal factory. If you cared about bloodshed you wouldn't have started this in the first place."

"That is the trouble with you, Cadence," she replies. "You have never learned how to prioritize the big picture over the little ones. If eliminating one prevents the loss of dozens… hundreds… thousands… is it not the right thing to do? Even if that one is personally important to you?"

"Don't try and justify the unprovoked assassination attempt against a pony who had always been loyal to you."

"I did what I believed that I needed to do with all the information I had. This all could have been avoided if you had simply told me what you intended from the start. I thought you meant to keep him that way for all eternity."

My lips curl back into a snarl, and I swing my head around to face her. "Now you're saying it's _my_ fault that _you_ tried to murder my husband?!"

Celestia's face is impassive and infuriatingly calm. "No. The decision was mine, and I accept total responsibility for it and for all the consequences thereof, as any good ruler should."

Real subtle there, Celestia.

"Quit being passive-aggressive and just tell me what you want already. You wouldn't have sought me out alone if you didn't want something."

"Very well. I simply wished to ask a few questions about the method you used."

"Fine," I answer, concealing my nerves.

What I told her in my letters was that the information I used to create the ascension ritual "came from the same source" as the notes, which apparently was true enough not to get my brain wiped. I'm seriously hoping that she didn't notice the weasel wording.

"You used Elysium's bones as the base for this body, correct?"

I nod.

Celestia sighs mournfully and looks down. "I had hoped to bury her…" she shakes her head. "But it was for the best." She looks up again. "Your creation also required Shining Armor's mortal remains, did it not?"

"It did."

Why is she asking me this? She knows full well what I did.

"You defiled his grave in the dead of night to dig up moldy unicorn bones."

My ears fold back and I lower my head as a fresh wave of guilt washes over me. "Yes."

The corner of Celestia's mouth twitches. "The ends justified the means, did they not?"

I hesitate. "…I'm not answering that."

There's a twinkle in her eye. "So be it. Tell me, then: are you certain that a full alicorn skeleton was required? Could it be done with less?"

"Not as far as I know," I answer. "Why?"

"I was just thinking," she looks at her own legs. "I do not have any remains of our kind… but I do have bones. It is not as though I could not grow most of them back."

Ok, that's…. alright, it's not so different from what I tried with growing organs at one point. Shut up.

Celestia continues. "Tell me about the Crystal Heart. You described your interaction with it in vague terms. I want to hear more."

I hesitate, remembering the long hours I spent pleading with the heart. "It was… reluctant," I say at last. "It didn't seem to want to give up that much energy. I needed to coax it into going along with my idea."

"Did it actually speak to you?"

I shake my head. "No, I just felt… emotions. No words, just impressions."

"How did you convince it to surrender its strength to power your spell?"

"… Love. I spent a long time showing it the love we shared for each, the dedication we both felt to the Crystal Empire. It's an artifact of love and joy and positive emotions, how could it resist? I fed it our love for one another and our subjects until it gave me what I wanted. I still got the impression that it wasn't terribly fond of the idea of draining itself so much."

"Interesting…" Celestia looks thoughtful. "Thank you, niece, you have given me several things to think about. Is there anything I can do for you in turn?"

"Don't take my foals."

"I am sorry, but I cannot honor that request."

"Then leave me alone."

"As you wish."

Celestia vanishes in a burst of gold, and I'm alone again.


	20. Chapter 20

Shining Armor

"Come on Shining! Can't catch me!" laughs Twilight, doing an easy and graceful loop-de-loop around me before ascending even higher into the clouds.

"Twily!" I call out in between my comparatively slow, awkward attempts to follow. "Slow down!"

My sister pokes her head out from over the top of a cloud. "Nope!" She sticks her tongue out. "You'll have to come and get me!"

"Twily!" I protest vainly, frantically beating these long white things that I'm still getting used to. "I need to talk to you for a minute!"

Twily's been acting like this ever since we left dinner together. I was hoping for a few private moments with my sister to have an important conversation about what we were doing before she was called away by Celestia. But all I've gotten is a teasing foal who seems determined to lead me higher and higher into the sky. I thought she was taking our work more seriously than that. Yeah, I know she's been silly at times, like during our visit to the cemetery. It's a way to deal with the hard fact of outliving all your best friends. And yes, I know that me finally being alive again is an exciting moment for us all. Believe me, nopony knows that better than yours truly.

But still, Twilight usually knows when she can play around and when to be serious, if only for a few minutes. Something's not right.

"Not until you catch me!" she wiggles her tale at me before taking off and gaining still more altitude.

I struggle to follow my sister, but she's so much more experienced at flying than I am. I've never flown outside of chariot before these last few days, while she's been practicing since the day she ascended. Add to that the fact that the evening sky is covered in grey clouds, and I honestly have little chance of catching up with her if she doesn't let me.

"Please!" I call out as my sister vanishes behind another cloud. "This is important! It's about – WHOA!"

I tumble backwards in an unusually strong burst of bitter wind. The world spins around me as I struggle to right myself, and for a moment I fear that I'm going to plummet. But what lessons I have learned kick in, and I manage to get myself back to right side up with a few well timed beats of the wing.

I hover there in the clouds for a moment, attempting to adjust to the powerful air current I now find myself in. It's much stronger than the ones I'm usually in, and I'm puzzled for a moment before a coincidental glance downwards answers my question. We're high. Really high. As in, I think I may be more than a mile off the ground. Even the Imperial City looks small from here – a little sparkling circle on a vast plain of tundra. Individual ponies are almost invisible even for the enhanced eyes that I now have. I can't image they can see me in turn. I've never been afflicted with acrophobia, but right now I feel just a slight edge of nervousness coming on.

Another part of me is surprised that I didn't notice before how far we've come. I suppose I'm not quite used to this new degree of stamina – really, I don't feel tired at all. Even crystal me needed more rest than this.

My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Twilight's voice.

"Shiny!" it calls through the grey sky. "Up here!"

I don't see anything, but I can hear roughly where it's coming from: the other side of a particularly large and dark stormcloud. Ignoring the feeling that something is off about this and fighting the air currents, I pull myself still higher into sky, aiming to just go straight through the thing.

"Twilight!" I shout to make myself heard above the current. "This is serious! Please, stop!"

I plunge into the vast grey bulk of the cloud, it feeling oddly semisolid even when I'm trying to pass through it. Does that happen to all pegasi, or is it just inexperience with their magic on my part?

"I _need_ to talk to you."

My head pokes through the top of the cloud. I look to where I guessed Twilight should be, but there's nopony there.

"Not for much longer," says somepony from behind me. It's Twilight's voice, but… _different_.

My military instincts are what save me. Literal lifetimes of guard training give one something approaching a sixth sense about these things. Some situations just scream "defend yourself", and so that is what I do.

And just in time too. Something impacts heavily on my hastily-formed shield and explodes. It doesn't penetrate, but the sheer kinetic force of the attack picks me up and hurls me into the air. Pegasus magic means that the fall is a few feet onto a fluffy cloud rather than a few thousand onto the ground below.

A second impact rocks my barrier before the smoke clears or I can get to my hooves. Again, my defense buckles but does not fail. I dig my hooves into the cloud and hold on, not moving nearly as far this time.

I shake my head to clear the slight daze and look to the source of the attack. There's smoke in the air from where the two magical attacks met my shield, but the wind at this height blows it away within seconds.

Standing on the cloud, with a deep scowl on her face, is my little sister.

"Dammit!" she bares her teeth. "What is _with_ your family and seeing things before they should?!"

"Who are you?" I demand, rising to my hooves. "And what have you done with my sister?"

"Oh, you know. Kidnapped, imprisoned, replaced," she grins maliciously. "The usual."

"Tell me where she is," I snarl through gritted teeth. "_Now!_"

"Hmmm, let me think about that… No."

"Then I'll just have to force it out of you!"

Offensive magic has never been my specialty, but I like to think I haven't neglected it. At my command, my barrier reforms into a wave of rose-colored energy and flies at the imposter. It's supposed to wrap her up tight – I want this one alive, at least until Twily is safe.

She conjures a protective bubble of her own – just as I'd hoped for. My magic envelopes the fake Twilight, where it forms a second bubble around hers. She shouldn't be able to teleport out of that, and if I'm correct she won't able to break-

Her sickly green shield expands, meeting mine. For a moment, they're evenly matched. And then my attack shatters into fragments, which dissolve into mist.

Ok, she's stronger than I was hoping for.

"Dear little Princess Twilight's heart had a lot of love in it," that malicious grin is plastered all over her face again. "It was _delicious_."

Green magic, eats love?

"Changeling," I hiss, scrapping my hoof along the cloud we're standing on. "How _**dare**_you?!"

I was under mind control when it happened, so my memories of the event are vague and fuzzy at best, but I recall that having love sucked from my body and eaten was both painful and very debilitating. Imagining it happening to my little Twily…

If I'm not careful, I'm going to _kill_ this bitch.

"I wonder what _you_ taste like?" she licks her lips. "Let's find out. **Minions!**"

Suddenly, more figures rise from out of the cloud to stand in a circle. Pegasi, the lot of them, in civilian clothing and Crystal Guard armor alike. Two, four, six… I count twenty of them altogether, surrounding me on all sides.

I lower my ears and reform my barrier. I'm not much liking my odds here. Twenty one to one is hardly fair… I could release the pegasus magic holding me up and just hurdle for the ground… but no. I can't do that. As she wants to capture me, I want this changeling – likely a queen – alive. As far as I know, she's the only one who knows where my little sister is. If I run, she'll get away and I may never see Twily again.

Alright then, I'll just have to beat them all. For Twily.

"Get him!" imposter Twilight yells, pointing a hoof at me.

The "pegasi" drop their disguises, unsurprisingly revealing twenty changeling drones in various attack poses. Several of them open fire with their green magic.

Beams of sickly green energy smash into my shield. It's intense, but defensive magic is my talent and I have far more energy now than I ever did before, and it holds. I force it to hastily expand. The wave of energy knocks the lot of them off their hooves, and then I'm on them.

I throw myself towards the closest of the bugs. I have to take as many out as possible, as quickly possible. I grab the nearest changeling by the head before it can recover its hooves and twist as hard as I can. With a sickening crunch, its chitinous neck snaps and its struggling form goes limp.

I toss the carcass at one of the changeling's comrades. It impacts, and the two fly off of the cloud together. One changeling, either brave or stupid, comes at me from behind, green energy wrapped around its horn as its body hurdles at me. I lash out with both hind legs, kicking it hard in the face. I can feel exoskeleton crack at the point of contact-

Gah!

One of the little insects just stabbed me in the side. Its horn penetrates an inch or so into the flesh in between my ribs, and I can feel paralytic changeling venom being pumped into the shallow wound. I swing my right hoof around and smash it in cheek. The part of its horn inside me is torn off by the sheer force of the blow, as the rest of it sails off into the distance.

I ignore the small injury, already feeling my body acting to purge the poison, expel the foreign object, and close the wound. I don't expect it will take long at all.

The sixteen remaining changelings wise up and change tactics. The sound of insectile buzzing fills the air as they take off from the cloud, retreating upwards into the sky or downwards into the grey mass below. More beams and lances of green energy lash out towards me, and I renew my shield. In a lethal parody of a rainstorm, blast after blast after blast collides with my shelter, exploding on impact. Smoke and fire obscures my vision, and very shortly I can see nothing beyond my own magic and the enemy assault.

Great, I'm pinned. I'd teleport, but I can't see if it would put me in a better or worse position. But I'm willing to bet I can maintain this shield longer than they can keep up this barrage.

Seconds pass. Ten. Twenty. The changelings' attacks continue, exploding against my defense. But they're wasting their energy – it'll take more than that to get past one of _my_ shield spells.

Thirty seconds. The barrage begins to slacken. They're weakening.

Forty seconds. One more beam of energy fruitlessly expends itself on my barrier, kicking up one last explosion. But I'm unmoved.

Smoke still clouds my vision, but I can see the wind already starting to blow it away and-

Wait.

My ear flicks. I hear something.

I rear up on my hind legs on pure instinct. The false Twilight emerges from the clouds directly below my hooves. She smashes into the bottom of my shield at incredible speed horn-first, forcing her way through and shattering it like some kind of missile. Her horn passes through the space where my heart just was. Without thinking I kick out with both my front legs, catching the faux-alicorn on the chest.

"Twilight" is hurdled through the air, her own momentum carrying her upwards while my blow carries her backwards. Her body spins in the air, and she lands roughly on her belly. I grab her in telekinesis while she's too winded to fight it off, and-

Argh!

I get stabbed again – this time in the back, on the joint of my left wing. More venom enters my system through the wound, but more worrying is how the wing flops limply to my side. I conjure several daggers from the aether – energy intensive, but effective – and fling them at the changeling with its horn stuck in my back. It's ripped from me and repeatedly impaled by sharp metal blades.

By the time I've done that, though, the queen – so I presume – has recovered. She blasts the pink telekinetic aura off of herself with an annoyed snarl. We face each other, I raising my signature shield once again. It's worked well enough for me so far.

"Useless…" faux-Twilight mutters to herself. "Can't my daughters do _anything_ right?"

I vaguely recall some lesson on changeling reproduction that Twilight gave me way back when. All changelings come from eggs laid by queens, but vast majority are infertile female drones. I suppose that's what she's talking about.

She faces me, making eye contact. Around us, the other changelings have stopped at some unspoken signal, hovering wordlessly in place. "I _was_ hoping to feed on you first, but I'm not going through this again." She looks past me. "Do it now!" she shouts.

I brace myself, but refuse to take my eyes off of my sister's imposter. She's the most dangerous thing her, and in any case I'm building charge for a much larger attack on-

Grey suddenly surrounds me. It half looks as though the clouds have risen up to consume me, but the texture is wrong. This is smoke, and it… passes right through my shield. What the hell?

Without warning, my muscles start to seize. First my legs, then abdomen, then wings, neck, and finally, my face freezes as I struggle to make any part of me move. Why is my body not listening to me? What in the bleak infernal planes of Tartarus is going on here?

Then the grey smoke envelopes my face, and all is darkness.


	21. Chapter 21

Cadence

After my _dear_ Auntie leaves me in peace, I try to continue my walk for a time. The gardens are still lovely, and not a few of my plants tempt me to take a nibble. Unfortunately, I find that I'm still not really gaining very much from it. By the time I decide to leave, I still feel like I've been put through one of those barbarian meat grinders.

The cold hard truth of the matter is that now, even after I've gotten what I wanted most of all, I'm just as trapped as ever. I'm no match for my aunt, and she still holds all the cards. Revenge fantasies aside, even together it's doubtful Shining and I could match her and her sister, and I can't even alert him to why we should in the first place. So, I'm left to face the fact that I've effectively sold my soul to satiate my greatest desire. I'll be living a double life, forever lying to my nearest and dearest, and even giving away my children.

I hate Celestia for forcing me into this. I hate myself, for being so thoroughly self-centered in the first place. I'm very much aware that none of this could have taken place had I not been selfish enough to hold back my husband from the afterlife at the cost of almost everything he had.

But you know what the worst part is? If I'm going to be one hundred percent honest with myself, it's the knowledge that after all of this, after everything I put Shining and Twilight and myself and everypony else through… I'd do it again. I really would, and I know it. I'd sentence my husband to centuries in lifeless crystal, knowing how miserable it made him. I'd endure the night he was almost killed, when I faced my aunt and lost miserably, when I felt my body burned to a crisp. I'd even sell my own unborn children once more. I would do everything that I did all over again, if only I could be allowed to keep Shining Armor at the end of it all.

And that knowledge scares me more than anything else.

Retiring early, to my complete lack of surprise, doesn't help me much. You can't escape your troubles with a hot bad or a comfortable bed when they're all in your head. It's quite rare that I wish to be buried in work, but at the moment I'm not too busy, and in any case I can hardly trust myself to do well by my ponies when I'm at war with myself. They deserve better from their princess. So I shut up, flick off the lights, and lie down to sleep.

* * *

"Get away from me!" snarls Shining Armor, putting a hoof on my chest and shoving me back a ways. "How could you _do_ this?!"

"I… I…" I whimper pathetically and look at my own hooves, unable to meet his blue eyes. "I h-had to... don't you s-see? I couldn't… I couldn't…" Unable to even finish the sentence, I manage to raise my gaze slightly, looking to my sister-in-law for support. But Twilight Sparkle only glares daggers down at me. I cower, feeling very small.

"You disgust me," she spits at my hooves. "Your own children?"

"I… had to…" My voice is feeble, and the words sound hollow even to my own ears.

"You knew, you witch!" Shining growls at me. "You _knew_ I'd rather die a thousand deaths than let harm come to any foal of mine! And you _sold them_ for your own pleasure!"

"Shiny, I-"

He slaps me hard across the face, hoof impacting roughly against my cheekbone. I topple to the ground with a whimper. From where I lie on the crystalline floor of our palace, blood trickling down my cheeks, the siblings tower over me.

"Shut up!" he snarls. "You two-timing, worthless, selfish _bitch_!" Shining advances on me, placing a hoof on my neck and bending down. "I was loyal to you," he hisses into my ear. "I was the most devoted stallion on the planet! I spent hundreds of years in a cursed half-life because _you_ said you couldn't live without me! I betrayed my own conscience and accepted the risks of carrying a beacon dark magic on my very soul so you wouldn't have to be alone! How many would do that?"

I try to answer, but all that comes out is a frightened squeak.

Shining put more weight on the hoof atop my neck as he bends down until his muzzle is inches from mine. I for all the world that I could vanish on the spot, but I can't even pull my eyes away from his own.

"_How. Many?_" he repeats, his voice a deadly low whisper.

"N-N-None," I manage, and his head rises just a fraction.

"That right," he says with a nod. "And how did you repay my loyalty?" His hoof presses down even harder on my neck. I can feel my windpipe being compressed "You sold out _everything_ I believe in! My principles, my duties, my subjects, my family… _everything!_" His eyes are piercing to the point where I could swear that they're on fire. "All so you could have your oh-so-precious hunk of stallion meat!"

"Not… true…" I whimper through my tightened throat.

Shining's hoof pushes down so hard it cuts off my air flow altogether. "**LIAR!**" he roars, his Royal Canterlot Voice enough to shatter glass and eardrums alike. "If you cared about me, if you gave one tenth of a percent of a damn about who I am and what I want, you'd have let me die!"

My reply is nothing but a strangled gurgle, though I'm unsure of what I could say to that in any case.

"If you cared about anything but your own gratification, you would have killed me yourself before selling my foals to a monster! If you had even the slightest bit of conscience, you would have banished Sombra back to hell the moment he showed his ugly face! I would do anything to protect those I love, while you knowingly let an evil spirit wander free across the Crystal Empire for _decades_ because you didn't care for anypony but yourself! Who knows what harm he's done in that time?! Princess of Love?" he snorts. "You're a heartless monster, Mi Amore Cadenza."

"I should have left you in Tartarus to rot," Twilight says. "You and Tirek would make a good couple. You deserve each other."

I look pleadingly up at the siblings, but their faces are hard and unforgiving.

"Come on BBBFF," Twilight says, "Let's go. Leave the witch to drown in her own bile."

Shining removes his hoof from my throat, and I gasp for air. Shining and Twilight turn their backs on me and begin walking away. I hold out a hoof, silently begging them to come back, to give me another chance, but they don't even spare a glance. I try to speak, but nothing comes out.

Then the two are gone, and I'm not an alicorn princess in the Imperial Palace anymore. I'm a little pegasus filly, wandering alone through a dark forest. I don't know where I came from, or why I'm here. I just know that I'm alone, weak, and very scared.

I wander through the forest for what seems to be hours. There's nothing and nopony in sight, no movement besides my own. Not even the smallest insects are to be seen on the ground, and the sky is nothing more than an endless grey horizon. The sun and moon and stars are gone. My wings are lead – they cannot lift me so much as an inch off the ground.

I call out in the weak voice of a lost filly, but nopony answers me. Desperate, alone, and afraid, I repeat my pleas for help into the uncaring wind. But there's nopony to answer, and tears roll down my cheeks.

Without warning, cruel laughter echoes around me. Out from the shadowed trees steps an enormous equine figure, covered from head to hoof in black, chitinous armor plates. Green eyes look down on me from a monstrous parody of an equine face, a wild mess of membrane hanging down from where her mane should. Her open mouth reveals row after row of viciously pointed fangs.

"Welcome home, my child," Queen Chrysalis says magnanimously as I cower on the forest floor. "You have done well."

I can't even manage the strength of will to get up and flee from the monstrosity before me, much less speak.

"You played your part perfectly and everypony fell for it," she grins broadly. "They showered you with love and affection, never knowing, never even _suspecting_…" Chrysalis laughs again. "The hive feeds well tonight."

What?

Drawn by some instinct, I look down at my legs. I let out a scream.

Where there was soft pink fur, there is only hard, black chitin filled with holes. Franticly, I look at my back. My feathered pegasus wings have vanished from my body. In their place are insectile buzzing things filled with whole. Even as I open my mouth to shriek again, I can feel my teeth elongating, becoming sharper.

I spy a puddle out of the corner of my eyes. Hoping against hope, I rush over to look at my reflection. The face the stares back at me from the muddy water is that of a soulless, love-sucking, parasitic monster – an unholy blight on all those she falsely claims to love.

A changeling.

My screams and Chrysalis' laughter echo throughout the dark forest.

* * *

I gasp like a drowning mare when my eyes shoot open. The cool tower air rushes easily down my throat and into my lungs. I take several more gulps in quick succession as my heart hammers in my chest. I can feel cold sweat dripping down my body.

Gradually, awareness starts to return to me. I'm in the Imperial Palace, I realize. I'm in our bed. It's damp with sweat and I've kicked the silken bedsheets around, but I'd recognize it anywhere. I look over my shoulder nervously, half in hope, half anticipation.

I breathe a sigh of relief. Shining Armor is still there. My husband hasn't left me. I'm not a changeling imposter. He's still asleep even – gods bless whatever makes him so hard to wake up. My secret shames are still secret.

It was… It was only a nightmare.

Right?

* * *

Breakfast the next morning is a rather subdued affair. I say little except when spoken to, pick at my food, and generally keep my head down. My low mood spreads easily – Shining picks up on it quickly and wraps a comforting wing around my back. His show of concern naturally just makes me feel worse about myself. Twilight looks a bit down at the bad atmosphere, but doesn't seem to be able to come up with anything to rouse the mood. Even Celestia seems more subdued than she normally is, her violet eyes flicking back and forth between myself and Shining.

The one piece of good news that comes up is that Celestia will be leaving soon after breakfast. She says she's been away from Equestria for quite long enough. Twilight, on the other hoof, will be staying for a few more days, to catch up with us after our time apart. On most days, that would make me genuinely smile, but not today. The pretty pink princess is too busy feeling sorry for herself, you see. So I fake it instead – nopony else should have to feel bad because I am.

Celestia's exit stage left really isn't much to speak of. She wears that serene smile (though I now think it's more a smug smirk) as she gives us all warm hugs and pleasant words goodbye. As always, she's warm and soft to the touch, and smells nice. A pretty mask over an ugly soul, I think. Then she steps onto her golden chariot, and in a few minutes is out of sight altogether.

Brother and sister soon inform me that they were planning on spending some time together today, and ask if I'd like to go with them. I don't want to spoil it for them, so I make some excuses and head off on my own. Besides, there is one thing that I've been meaning to do for a few days now. Celestia's visit only reminded me of its importance.

* * *

"Are you certain, doctor?" I gaze at the papers before me with a skeptical eye. "Absolutely certain?"

The nervous stallion in front of me tugs at his collar hesitates slightly, but nods. "About as certain as I can be at this stage, your majesty. It's quite early on, you know, and we can't always be sure… but with all the tests in agreement I would hesitate to call it any other way."

I sprung this visit to him out of nowhere, so I don't blame him for being a little nervous. Also, I picked him precisely for the fact that he isn't royal personnel – less likely to spread gossip around the palace that way. I want this confidential, at least for now.

"I see," I finish reading over the results he's presented me. Insofar as I can tell, his diagnosis is accurate. "Thank you, doctor," I slide off the medical examination table.

He bows. "No trouble at all, your highness," he assures me. "Your presence was merely…"

"Unexpected," I fill in, saving him the trouble of finding an appropriately tactful way to put it. "I trust you'll keep this duly confidential."

"Of course!" he bows lower. "Of course! My lips and records are sealed tighter than Tartarus' gates!"

"Thank you," I respond, already beginning to head to the exit and wondering what to do next.

"Oh, and your highness?"

I turn around and look at him. "Hmmm?"

He smiles timidly. "Congratulations."

I leave without saying anything more.

* * *

That evening after my duties as princess are through sees me in our bathing chambers, floating in water hold enough to scald ordinary ponies and attempting to relax, or at least calm down a bit. But the atmosphere does about as much good for my overworked stress response as trying to fight a forest fire with a single bucket of water. I'm feeling exhilarated, giddy, stupid, ashamed, and afraid all at the same time.

I'm pregnant. After all this time, it's finally happened again. I don't know exactly when the foal was conceived, and it's still in the very earliest stages of development, but it's happened. In about eleven months' time, I'll give birth again – to the very first alicorn foal to be born in countless generations, no less. My most primal and instinctive response is, of course, happiness. I love caring for all foals, but especially my own. It's been far too long since I've had a chance to do that.

My more rational side is, of course, far gloomier. I still have a bargain to uphold. The child growing inside me is pledged to my aunt and whatever purpose she might have for it. What do I do now? How to I tell Shining? What am I going to say when Celestia inevitably comes for my foal? If Shining were to find out the truth… he'd leave me, I know it. If he didn't kill me outright. I don't suppose I could blame him if he did.

I wring my hooves and flap my soggy wings in self-reprimand. Stupid, stupid mare. I knew I should have taken precautions… but there was so much repressed passion. I'd waited _so_ long for my wish to come true. So much so that Shining and I went through several rounds without my even considering the possibility of consequences.

"Cadence?"

Well, speak of the devil… or _think_ of the devil in this case, I suppose.

I turn my head to face the speaker, a ghost of smile playing on my face. This may just be what I need right now. Shining Armor stands at the door, looking somewhat weathered but clearly happy. I can feel the satisfaction that he's radiating. That's good, at the very least.

"Well," I ask, "What is my prince charming waiting for? An engraved invitation? Come in and shut the door behind you."

He smiles flirtatiously and does as I bid, slipping easily into the burning hot water in our very large bathtub. I swim over to where he sits and press myself into him. I settle my head against his chest, nuzzling it gently, while he wraps one hoof around my neck and runs the other softly through my mane. The sensation is very pleasant, and I slowly close my eyes and breathe deeply. From here I can feel the steady beat of my husband's heart and the rhythmic motions of his breathing. It feels good to have a chance to genuinely relax, if only for a little while.

This goes on for a while. I don't know exactly how long – keeping track of time is something I really don't care to do at the moment. Just sitting here, enjoying our time together, is more than enough to keep my mind occupied.

Without warning, Shining's grip on my neck tightens exponentially. His other hoof joins the first. His hold is so strong that it's actually a bit painful. Before I have the chance to ask what's going on, he twists right sharply.

Snap.

With a sickening crunch of bone and muscle, I feel my neck being broken, alicorn bone snapping as easily as brittle twig. The rest of my body goes limp and loses all sensation. I'm so utterly shocked that I haven't the slightest inclination to do anything besides lay there stunned before black metal chains appear from nowhere and wrap themselves around my horn. Even my sensation of magic fades away as they secure themselves tightly.

Shining Armor releases his hold on me, and I drop face-first into the water. I'm light, so I float with a portion of my skull and ears above the surface. My face, contorted in shock and pain, is completely under the water. Thoughts and emotions race through my mind. Why is he doing this? Has he somehow been alerted to what I did? Has Shining decided to retaliate for my deceptions? What's going on?

I'm so wrapped up in my own thoughts that I miss the first few words that he speaks to somepony I can't see from my limited vantage point.

"…told you it would work. He's an assassin _and_ a hostage, all rolled into one," Shining says in an uncharacteristically smug tone of voice.

A female voice answers, but it's low and I don't quite catch what it says.

A familiar hoof reaches down under the water and grasps my chin. My face is pulled upwards and out of the water by the foreleg of Shining Armor. But when I look into my husband's face, it's not his kind blue eyes that are staring back at me.

"Your kind are _so_ gullible."


End file.
